Dont Judge a Girl by her Cover
by Prepgal95
Summary: Like the say out of sight, out of mind-not for Cammie Morgan, the spy who fell in love. She needs to find Zach now, but for more reasons than missing him. He knows something. And together Zach and Cammie will go on a top mission to find those who they luv
1. Chapter 1

I buttoned my blazer and sighed, staring down at the Gallagher School for Spies badge sewed onto the upper lefthand corner. Here I was, beginning a new semester of Junior year at the spy school for girls, AGAIN. Starting alone, just like always. Well, okay, not alone. There was Macie and Liz and Bex and Mom....but there was no Zach. And no Josh. I sighed again, and smacked my glossy lips together, flipping my dirty blonde hair over my shoulder, pretending to be confident. Cuz i sooo wasn't. And I, Cameron Morgan was always confident. I was a spy. It was my job to die for the United States of America. And here I was, feeling lousy, because the two boys that I had actually liked were gone. Please. This was sad.  
"Cammie, there you are. Gosh, we've been searching the entire mansion for you! Let's go...Solomen will have a fit if we're late....," Bex said, ,rushing into the dorm. Her jetblack hair was glossy, as usual, and her cat-like eyes shone. Macie and Liz came in behind her, panting heavily. "Cammie!"  
"Coming, coming...," I said, and followed my friends out of the room.  
New semesters were the times to start fresh. So how come I felt so...so...old and tarnished? My heartbeat was fast and my pulse raced. There were no boys swarming the hallways. No snide Zach-like remarks coming from behind. Just a swarm of chatty girls, clutching books to their chests, and eyeing new girls, suspiciously. This was The Gallagher Academy. This was how it was supposed to be. And this was how it all was....BEFORE the Blackthorne institue for Boys intruded. And then everything changed. And as much as I wanted to shake off the thought, nothing was ever going to be the same again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Lying," began Solomen. "Is a devious thing. And it's more difficult to do than any of us can imagine." He was pacing the room, twiddling a black bullpoint pen in between his fingers. I sighed and flashed a note at Macie.  
"HELP," it read. Macie giggled. "RELAX CAM. ITS ONLY THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER," she scribbled back. I rolled my eyes. Just what I needed. Thanks, Mace.  
"Cammie." I shot my mind back into reality mide. Obviously Solomen was gonna pick on me. It was what he lived to do. Oh, yea, and to flirt with my mom.  
"Tell me a lie. Any lie," he demanded. My face reddened, but being the spy I was, I was able to conceal it. "My name is Hillary Duff," I said, lightly, and flashed a toothy smile at my scowling teacher. "Humorous, Miss Morgan. Quite entertaining. I would have believed you if I didn't already know your name...perhaps. Tell me another lie, Cammie. Something a little less obvious to the world, " he said, clucking his tongue pestily.  
"My toothbrush is purple," I said, my voice quavering slightly at the last syllable.  
"You're lying," Solomen shot back, almost instantaneously.  
"Well, yea. You told me to lie," I said, chewing on my lip. Solomen sighed. "Yes, but even if I hadn't told you to lie, I still would have known you were lying."  
I shook my head. "And how is that?"  
"Slightly blushing face. Higher octave verbal key. Shaking voice. It's all in the mind. You need to observe," he siad, now turning his attention to the rest of the class.  
"Pair up," he commanded. "And lie."  
Well, that was a normal assignment, wasn't it? Just another clue to show you that I didn't go to just any school. I went to the Gallagher Academy. An Academy where the teachers instructed you on lying, killing, and a lengthy list of other crimes.  
I glanced over at my right to see who my partner would be. Andria Jackabee. Quiet girl with hair out to who knows where. Where was Zach when you needed him?  
"Hey, Andria. Okay, who should lie first?," I asked, squeezing my desk against her. She shrugged, not looking up. Great, just awesome. I had a lying partner who not only wasn't capable of lying, but was mute too  
"Ok. I guess that leaves me. Uh, Andria. You need to LOOK into my eyes when I lie," I said, nudging her on the shoulder. Andira looked up at me, tentatively.  
"Ok. So tell me if I'm telling the truth...," I began, racking my brains for something to say. "Uh...I miss having the Blackthorne guys around here," I said. I shook my head, involuntarily. I did not know WHERE that had come from.  
"No blushing. No higher octaves in your verbal language. No shaky voice. Cammie, you just told the truth," Andira decided, pleased with her observation. I groaned. I HAD just told the truth. And now Andria had me figured out.  
"Okay, guys. Show me what you all did," Solomen's voice echoed off the steel walls of the Cov-op classroom. A hush fell over the class, and then it was silent.  
"Cammie and Andrea." Whoa, shocker.  
"Replay what you guys just did," Solomen said, his hands folded over his chest, and his deep green eyes squinting sharply.  
No. No WAY was I admitting anything in front of the entire Junior class. This so was not happening in the present era.  
So I did what spies were trained to do. I lied some more.  
"My best friend's name is Jason Hatterford," I said, speaking on a high key, and shaking my voice, purposely. Andrea squinted her eyes at me, perplexed. I nudged her thigh with my hand and threw her a pleading "please just go along with me" look.  
"Uh...you're lying, because you, uh...blushed." Okay, so I left that part out, but a even a spy couldn't force any scientific changes in her blood. "And you, um, spoke really high and shakily," Andrea said, her own voice, slightly unbalanced. Great, Andrea. Do you know how to speak without using the word "uh" and "um" every other second?  
Solomen poked his tongue into the side of his cheek, and I saw it roll around the side of his gum a few times before he spoke again. "See me after class, you guys. Alright, Helen and Bex, you're up," he said, turning away from us.  
Andrea glared at me through the rest of Cov-Ops class. What had she expected from me, anyway? Was I supposed to admit to the universe that I missed Zach? No. I was strong and confident and ready to face the world. I groaned. I so wasn't.


	2. Chapter 2

I trudged down the corridors to my Mom's office for our weekly dinner, dreading the event. I didn't want to face her. I didn't want her to question me about my life, my classes, and my friends. I just wasn't in the mood for any of it.  
"Hey, Cammie," she said, when I pushed the door open. Her office was dimly lit, and there was a wooden table for two set up in the corner. That meant that Mom wanted to talk. Great. Perfect timing.  
"Hi, Mom."  
"Sit," she demanded. I did as I was told. Something was up. Mom seemed tense. Her perfect lips were set in a tight, straight line and her smoky eyes were squinted and harsh.  
"Wanted to talk to you about something," she said, stirring her coffee with a spoon. Yea, I had kinda noticed that.  
"Sure. What?" Mom sighed. "Cameron..."  
Uh-oh. Full name terms. This wasn't looking too good.  
"How do you feel about the Blackthorne boys leaving?," she asked. I jerked my head forward. "What?" I knew perfectly well what my mom had said.  
"The Blackthorne boys. Do you miss having them around?" Okay, was Mom spying on my Cov-Ops class? Probably. That's what most spies did.  
I shrugged, partly because I wasn't even one hundred percent sure myself, and partly because even if I WAS, Mom had no right to know that.  
She seemed to sigh, slightly relieved, and turned back to her coffee. "Just wondering." Her jawline relaxed. Her eyes softened.  
"So how were classes?," she asked. I stared at her deeply, trying to dig deep into her mind. But I couldn't get anything. Her eyes were innocent, large, and puppy-like.  
"Whatever. Can we just eat? I need to think...," I admitted, rubbing my temples and digging into my lo main. Whatever Mom was hiding, I was going to find out. This wasn't the first time my mom wasn't telling me what I needed to know.  
I needed to let my friends in on this. We needed to figure this out. I thought out my strategies throughout the rest of the meal, not looking at my mother, but only at the oily noodles that slid helplessly through the prongs of my fork.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Maybe this has something to do with why your Mom and Solomen suspiciously disappeared over spring break," Liz suspected.  
The four of us were gathered in the dorm, two sprawled across the freshly made beds, one slouching on a beanbag, and me, comfortably spread across the carpet.  
"Maybe..."  
"Cam, your mom is weird," Macie, said bluntly as she popped a potato chip into her mouth. I rolled my eyes.  
"And your's isn't," I muttered under my breath, referring to Macie's uptight, politically involved mother.  
Liz nudged me and widened her eyes, warningly. She was the nice one. As for me, I was too confused and overwhelmed to work any of this out.  
"Let's work out all the clues and try to get at least a QUARTER of this pulled together," Bex, suggested. "It has something to do with the Blackthorne guys....that's for sure. And obviously your mom is hiding soemthing major that THEY know. That's why she doesn't want you to try to get involved with them, because then you'll hear her secret....," she went on, a far-off look in her deep brown eyes.  
I nodded, slowly. "That makes sense."  
Macie and Liz mumbled some "yeas" under their breath.  
"But now...what is your mom hiding that the Blackthorne boys know about?," Macie asked, twirling a piece of stunning, glossy here around her index finger.  
"Maybe it's not all the Blackthorne boys...," I siad, suddenly alert. "After all, I was only ever interested in one of them...."  
"Omigosh ZACH!," Liz shrieked, and her sea blue eyes widened as she clapped a hand over her mouth.  
"Be a genius, will ya?," Bex said sarcastically.  
But my friends' retorts were just a swirl of far away jumbled words. I had one thing on my mind. I needed to find out what my Mom was hiding. I needed to figure this all out. And there was only one way. I needed to get to Zach.


	3. Chapter 3

I was strolling down the halls, Bex at one shoulder, and Liz at the other, when I spotted my Mom, standing outside the Cov-Ops door, in wide-legged black pants and a serious-looking blazer.  
She was talking seriously to Solomen. I breathed in. "Calm it, Cam. Just breathe. I'm sure it's nothing about you," Liz comforted, grabbing my shoulder.I shook away, gently and glided closer to the conversation, hiding behind a wide stone pillar.  
Their voices were just feet away now. "Yes, but she can't know, Joe. She'll be too willing...too determined. I can't put her in that sort of danger," my mother said, a deep cut to her voice.  
Bex shot me a side-glance. "Are they talking about you?," she mouthed. I nodded, positive of myself.  
My mom's words were making me more and more determined to do what it was that she didn't want me to do. My breathing was uneven, and my chest rose up and down with every moment.  
"Cammie, are you okay?," Liz asked, concernedly. I nodded, but barely. I was too eager. "Guys....I need you to do me a favor," I instructed gravely.  
My friends shared a nervous glance, but nodded. "Sure....anything."  
"I need you to cover for me for a week or so," I said, not even sure where I was going with my words. Liz shot me a questioining look and Bex just sighed.  
"Cammie, where are you going?," she asked impatiently.  
A sly, smirk spread across my lips. "Blackthorne Spy Institute for Boys."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Cam, you're not doing this alone. We're coming with you," Bex insisted, her eyes wild with impatience.  
"Guys, I can do this by myself. Why should you get involved in what doesn't concern you?," I asked, exasperated. I needed to prepare myself, and figure out Blackthorne's exact location, and my friends naggings weren't helping.  
"you do'nt even know where the heck it is!," Macie said, flinging her arms around mid air. I shot her a pleading look.  
"And I need to find that out, so just leave me to my research and go away," I said, pushing the door to my room shut.  
But Bex's strong arms wouldn't budge. "This is our room too ya know," she siad, her voice cold. I coudn't afford a fight with my friends, so with a reluctant sigh, I pushed the door open and the three of them stumbled inside, landing in a heap on the floor.  
"Who's going to cover for us if we all go?," I asked.  
"No one. Who needs to know where we are? Just let everyone in Gallagher Academy think we're dead," Macie said, calmly.  
I shook my head. "Mace, mom's a spy too. She'll send out an entire search party, and us, being the amateurs we are, will be found before we leave the grounds."  
"The girl's got a point," Liz retorted.  
"Whatever. All I know is that we can't stay back here being worried sick about you for who-knows-how-long. We're a group. We're all in this together," Bex insisted, her eyes hard.  
So I wasn't the only determined one around here. I sighed in surrender. "Alright. You guys win. But then it's your job to make sure that we have a way to get around the entire faculty. AND my mom."  
My friends nodded, firmly and eagerly. "Okay, guys. Roll out the map of the school and let's get to work. We have a mission to accomplish," I instructed, and a small smile played on my thin lips.


	4. Chapter 4

"New York City? Blackthorne Institute is located in a DIFFERENT state than us? Cam, did Zach ever tell you this?," Macie asked, incrediously.  
I shook my head. Zach had hidden almost everything about his life from me. "No," I sighed. "Zach didn't tell me a thing...."  
"Ok, guys calm down. Plane tickets aren't a hard thing to come by," Bex said, her British accent, thick.  
"Bex is right. We'll go online, buy four of them, and get to the airport by the weekend. From t here, we'll locate Blackthorne. And we'll track down Zach, " I said, breathlessly. I felt as if a hand had gripped my heart. Amid all the excitement, I hadn't focused on the petty fact that I was going to see Zach again. Thinking of him made my insides quiver, and my heart leap. But my eyes were only on the mission. I needed to push Zach aside. So I made a promise to myself. I, Cammie Morgan, was not going to get socially involved with Zach Goode, other than conversing spy talk.  
Okay, that was gonna be hard. His thick dark hair, and piercing blue eyes didn't help the fact. Nope. Not at all.  
"Earth to Cammie. Plane tickets. Get 'em while they're hot," Macie said, waving her hand in front of my face.  
"ya, okay, plane tickets. Liz, do you mind hauling out my laptop and powering it up? Search for cheap tickets to JFK. I'm going to Mom's office for dinner," I said, glancing at my watch.  
I was playing with precious time here, but I couldn't back out of Mom's dinner. She'd be suspicious. And that was NOT something we could afford right now. I threw a cashmere cardigan over my tank and exchanged my sweats for dark-wash jeans.  
Pulling on furry chestnut-colored uggs, and running my fingers through my messy slept-on hair, I ran down two flights of stairs, and knocked on Mom's office door, panting heavily.  
"Cammie! Hey! Come on in."  
I pushed open the door and entered the office. The air was filled with the sweet smell of vanilla and cocoa mixed together. Mmmmmmm. The smell trailed up my nostrils and I smiled, serenely. I was going to miss it here at Gallagher Academy. My only home.  
"You look groggy," my mom said, handing me a cup of tea. I sniffled. "Ya...cold," I llied. Duh. How else could I defend myself? My eyes were encrusted with green stuff because of my lack of sleep for the past week, and my face was pale and washed out from thinking too much.  
"Oh. Well, tea will help."  
I nodded, and sipped the tea, avoiding conversation. I allowed the hot, sweet, liquid to flow through my mouth, its smooth texture tickling the surface of my throat. I began to feel better.  
"How was your week?" My mother looked tired, herself. I coudln't deny that. Her usually perfect jet black hair was pulled back into a sleek bun, and her face was clean from makeup. Her skin gave off a natural glow and the atmosphere felt just like old times. Quality Mom-Daughter time. No Joe Solomen. No spy stuff. And no mysteries.  
There was so much my mother was hiding from me....so much that she didn't want to share with me. And I realized then , that I wasn't only curious. I was hurt, too.  
I was completely unconcious of the fact that a couple of tears were forming in my eyes and slowly trailing down my cheeks.  
"Honey? Are you alright?," my mother asked, her eyes squinting with concern. I nodded, sniffed, and wiped my cheeks with the back of my sleeve.  
"Fine," I whispered, hoarsely. But it was a lie. All a lie. My life was filled with those. I was swimming in lies, barely able to breathe, my arms flailing helplessly around me, and my voice screaming for help. But no one heard me as the waves swallowed me up.  
"I'm not hungry. I'm gonna go to bed," I said, and pushed out my chair. Without even a single good night, I slammed the door behind me and made my way to my room, biting back helpless tears as I ran.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Omigosh Cammie! Look what we found!," Liz shouted, before I even had a chance to hide my tear-stained face.  
"Cam...what happened?," Bex asked, raising a hand to my shoulder. I shook it off and hiccupped. "I'm fine...what did you find, Liz?," I asked, sniffling a little. I was not planning on exposing my emotional breakdown to my friends. They wouldn't understand.  
"First tell us what's wrong," Liz said, folding her arms across her chest. I sighed. "Guys, cork it. Liz, what-did-you-find?," I snapped, emphasizing every syllable. Liz raised an eyebrow at me, but turned back to the computer screen and pointed her index finger at it.  
"Spring special. $70 bucks a ticket to get to JFK by Wednesday," Liz said, jumping right back in to mission mode.  
A wide smile broke out onto my face, and I clapped my hands together with glee, suddenly forgetting the tears that lay dry and motionless on my cheeks.  
"No way! Did you make reservatoins?," I urged, pushing Liz off the chair, and sitting myself down. "No, not yet," Liz humphed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "And thanks for pushing me over."  
I snickered. "Any time. K, guys, credit cards," I said, collecting four, beautiful mastercards from in between my friends' fingers.  
"Our parents are really gonna regret giving us these," Macie siad, slyly. We all laughed.  
I ran the numbers into the computer, and cheered internally, as the confirmation pop up appeared on the screen.  
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and sucked in my cheekbones victoriously. "We're in."

**FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO REVIEWED IT MEANS A TON TO ME. AND I AM NOT POSTING NEXT CHAPTER UNTIL I GET LEAST 5 REVIEWS ON CHAPTER 4. HOPE U LU-UHV IT AND PLEASE DONT BE TOO LAZY TO PRESS THE STUPID REVIEW BUTTON!!1 ;-)ITS UP TO U WHEN U GET 2 READ CHAPTER FIVE, CUZ ITS ALL HERE ON MY COMPUTER ALREADY!!!!!!!! R & R! ;-)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Black outfits-check. Flashlights-check. Lip gloss-check. Cameras-check. Bugs for the Blackthorne dorms-check." I rattled off the list of things that we were packing to make sure that everything was in place and ready to go.  
I gulped. It was already Tuesday afternoon. Our flight was leaving midnight the next day, and there was still NO WAY that we were escaping Gallagher grounds.  
"Gu-uu-uuu-ys," I groaned, stretching the word a few syllables. "We need to figure this out."  
Macie sighed, tired of my whining. "I think we should just GO. Pretend we're not spies. Who needs gadgets to walk four hundred feet?," she asked, twiddling her thumbs carelessly. The kid had a point. But not one that I was willing to take.  
"And what about the guards? The teachers? My MOTHER?," I asked, incrediously. I was probably hyperventilating right about then. But I didn't care. If there was a shortage of Oxygen, at least I had drilled a point or two into my friends' heads.  
"Ok. Can I have my say here?," Bex asked, raising her hand. I nodded. "We're wearing black .We'll blend into the night. We won't make a sound. And before you know it, we'll be in the center of town and into a taxi on our way to the airport!"  
I sighed. These people just didn't get it. Life wasn't that simple.  
"Whatever. I'll take everyones' word for it, but if we dont make it to that cab, you guys are so dead to me," I warned in a threat. Macie shrugged. Bex whistled. Liz's tiny body shook.  
"Ready for Mission number 3?," I asked, my insides tingling with fear and excitement. "Duh...," Macie said, but I read the same emotions in her nonchalant tone as my shaking one....

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Miss Morgan, snap out of it and get your head in the class. I don't want to have to say your name again," Solomen warned, sharply. I snorted. Then, DON'T.  
My head was everywhere BUT in Cove-Ops class, and as I took notes, my hands shook. Why was I so nervous? So frightened?  
I glanced at Bex, and we conversed in a series of body language. I nudged her with my wide eyes, trying to tell her to SPACE IN and brainstorm. We were a bunch of sixteen year olds going out into the world alone, and we needed ideas. MAJOR ideas.  
She lifted her hands up to her sides as if to say, "don't got anythin'." I sighed, shook my head, and shot her a death stare. She shrugged, apologetically.  
I was beginning to have second thoughts about my friends coming with me. All they thought about was the excitement of going on their first real mission. They didin't have their eyes on the prize. They weren't fighting for what I was fighting for. Because they didn't feel how I felt.  
This was all about me. And no one but me. I could tell it in Mom's dangerous tone of voice. What Zach withheld concerned no one else. No one else, except perhaps HIM.  
I shivered.  
Cammie, you're going to be fine. You'll be facing Zach in no time, he'll tell you what he knows, and you'll go and seek whatever it is that Mom doesn't want you to go and seek.  
So plain. So simple.  
Yea, right.

**k guys!!!! i need some feedback! n e thing u want to happen? n e thing ur disappointed about? review, review, review!!! sorry bout the shortness. i'll try 2 make em more lengthy if u REVIIIIEWW!!! **


	6. Chapter 6

I inhaled sharply, and pulled the black knit cap onto my head. "Lookin' good," Macie whispered, shooting me a thumbs up sign. I shot her a half-smile .But my insides were shaking and I was nervous and scared. Hello? What was I thinking? I was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.  
This was all just a bad idea. Tempted to back out, I placed my fingers on my temples and breathed. I had to do this. I was determined. So I forced myself.  
"Omigosh, Mace. Bex and Liz are calling in," I said, pulling my friend in closer, towards the walkie talkie.  
Bex's crackly voice came onto the speaker. "Ok, guys. The coast is clear in the courtyard. On the count of three, run down the halls and meet us out there. The guards are snoring as loud as who knows what. You'll be fine," she assured in a whisper. "Over."  
Macie grabbed my hand, we pushed the bedroom door open, and ran for our lives to the main entrance of the school , panting heavily and deeply flushed. Why, oh, why was I doing this?  
"I hafta pee," I complained. Macie smacked my arm. "No time do such things, Cam."  
I sighed. So now I was being confined of my physical priorities. A.K.A. peeing. Oh gosh. This was the start of SOME mission.  
In the distance, I spotted Bex and Liz waving frantically. They were standing on the plush grass. The moon casted its shadow over the dark trees.  
The scene made me shiver.  
"Let's go," I ordered Macie, forcing myself to regain my composure. We jogged over to our friends, and linking arms, the four of us picked the gatelock, and walked out of Gallagher Academy, onto the harsh city streets that screamed at us to turn back. But we kept on walking.  
"Flag down a cab," I ordered.  
"And how are we supposed to do that? When was the last time you guys rode in cabs?," Liz asked, knitting her eyebrows together.  
The three of shrugged, and hten I groaned, pushing my way past them, and waving my hands in the air, desparate to attract attention.  
I was fortunate in that area. People shot me dirty stares, and I got a couple of pitiful glances from women who probably thought I was mental.  
"Cammie, this is obviously not wokring," Bex scolded, pushing me a side, and holding up her thumb. A yellow taxi immediately pulled over. I looked at Bex in wonder and she smiled with satisfaction. I snorted. Why in the world was I the unlucky one?  
I shook my head, as we all squashed ourselves into the backseat of the taxi. The inside reeked of wet socks and vomit. "Gross," Macie whispered, pinching her nostrils together with her fingers.  
"Airport, please," I told the driver with a toothy smile.  
He nodded and then squinted at us suspiciously from the rearview mirror. "How old r u kids?"  
"Eighteen," Macie lied, easily. Her voice didn't shake. Her cheeks remained as pale as ever. And her voice was low and clear. Wow.  
"And where are you coming from?," he asked. The dreaded questoion from all. Gallagher Academy was known to the outsiders, as a snobby, rich, no-mess-with, prep school. No one wanted to talk to a Gallagher Girl.  
"Gallagher Academy." Bex answered this time, her voice shaking a little. And she wasn't even lying.  
"18 year olds from the Gallagher Academy, eh? interesting....," he siad, but let it go.  
As soon as the driver shifted his head towards the road and turned the radio up, we huddled together.  
"We need fake identities, guys," I said. They all nodded.  
"I'll be Cammie Hunter. Bex...you're a Parker. Liz....just stick with Sutton, it's common enough. And Macie....uh, Smith?"  
"Smith?," Macie asked, and she scrunched up her nose. I rolled my eyes.  
"we're eighteen year olds, who are Gallagher Acadmey alumni, and we just left from a visit to our old school," I babbled on.  
"Brilliant!," Bex siad, her large eyes brightening. I know. I was way too brilliant for anyone to deal with here. Yea, right. I wished. As much as I wanted to convince myself that I was ready to face nastiness, I wasn't. I was young, inexperienced, and frightened.  
Zach's thick, dark hair popped into my mind. His blue eyes pierced my own, and his infamous bad-boy smirk made my insides melt. Ok, I was lost too. Lost in love.

* * * * * * * ** * * *

The airport was mobbed. Ya, I couldn't get from the door to the check in counter without my cheeks squashing into my mouth every other second, so it looked like I was a fat fish. It was awesome. Really not.  
By the time we made our way out of the crowd, we were all gasping for air, and lugging our baggage with much difficulty.  
The snob of a woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow at us and asked for ID. Uuuuuh, ya we had that comin for us.  
I was quick to answer. "Sorry, scuse me?," I asked, trying my hardest to sound as if I came from a foreign country. "We don't know ID. We going to New York City and we 18. You help us? Here boarding passees," I said, handing the woman four crisp papers, still warm from the printer.  
She glanced at them hastily, and then back up at us, her lips pursed and her cheeckbones deep. "O-kay. It seems like you guys will do fine. But we're keeping an eye on you," she warned, cracking her gum, annoyingly.  
"Tank you." I flasehd her my sweetest, most air-head like smile I could possibly fauster, and sauntered across the tile floors to check in the luggage.  
"Um...guys. Not smart to check in. Just haul e/t onto the plane with us. It's quicker, easier, and will save us from encounterments," Macie said, smacking her lips together.  
"Whatever she says goes," I said, giving over the leadership role. I was exhausted and overworked and we hadn't even left groundlevel yet. I sighed.  
Macie shrugged, questioningly, but gladly took her part. "Well, then....straight to the gate, I guess!," she announced. We followed her in silence. Everyone pretended to look casual and happy, but I could tell that we were all deep in thought. At least I know I was. I began to imagine what could POSSIBLY be happening at The Gallagher Academy now. But then I remembered it was only 11 at night. The doors had been closed, and the lights dimmed, and my mom was long out. Or not. My cell phone vibrated pestily against the thigh of my jeans. "Shoot."  
Bex looked at me, wide-eyed. "Cammie, don't answer it. They'll think you're sleeping if you dont," she said, frantically. Liz's face was white as a sheet, and even Macie's normally drooped eyes were at a normal circumference now.  
"That's exactly my point. It means they suspect something. Those styrafome manequins you guys put under our covers obviously didn't pass so well," I said, my voice cracking with fear.  
"Just get the stupid phone," Macie ordered, impatiently.  
I braced myself with an inhale. "Hullo?"  
"Cammie?"  
It was Mom, alright. And she didn't sound too happy. Great. Great, great, great. What's a spy to do now?  
"Heeey," I said, casually, covering the mouthpiece of my cell, so as to drown out the ruckus of the airport.  
"Sweety, where are you?," she asked.  
I coughed. "In school, where else would I be?"  
My friends had all stopped in place, compltely stationary.  
"Well, you guys aren't in your room. We had a code black practice test about ahalf hour ago and now the entire school is lined up out in the courtyrad, and....and you guys just aren't t here," shse said, breathlessly.  
I pulled the phone away from my ear and signaled to my friends. "Shoot. Shoot. Shoot," I mouthed, and that was enough for them to know that we were dead. So, so dead.  
"Uh. Well, ya, I'm really sorry Mom. But I guess we should confess," I began, my muscles relaxing just a fraction.  
Bex ran her hands wildly in the air. "No. No!!! Don't do that."  
"We went into town to meet some friends from the public school. We're really sorry. We'll be back soon," I lied, easily. Macie sighed with relief, and shot me a thumbs up sign. I was apparently getting better at this.  
"Oh, Cammie. As long as you're okay. Never do that again. Please. And tellme Josh isn't involved," she said. "No. No Josh." Well, at least that wasn't a lie.  
"Well, I'll be checking on you guys in the morning. Good night and please leave NOW," she ordered. And the line went dead.  
Swiping a hand across my clammy forehead, I dropped my phone back into my pocket, and plopped down onto a hard airport chair by our gate.  
"What. Just. Happened?," Liz hyperventilated.  
"Code Black test tonight. We totally missed the whole thing. Mom freaked. How was my cover?," I asked, hopefully.  
"You were awesome," Bex assured, dropping her bag beside the chair. Wow. That had been a REALLY close call. Too close, in fact. How were we gonna manage this for more than one week? Or however long it took me to crack this case?  
"Guys, we wont' be able to cover for much longer," I said, in surrender.  
"We'r enot going back, Cammie," Macie said, sternly, placing a hand on her tiny hip.  
"I never said that. Whoa. Don't pounce. We just need a new plan."  
Liz and Bex nodded. "She's right. We need to think of something. Fourty minutes till boarding time. That's enough time to draw something up," Bex said, cracking her knuckles. She was ready. We all were. Because we needed to do this. I wasn't going to back out on this mission. And my friends weren't going to back out on me.

**thanks for all those of u who keep on reviewing. its cuz of u that the chaps r comin so fast! ;-) so i hope u all noticed the mistake i made and if u didnt, check on reviews for chap 4, i posted it there! Njoy this chapter!!!!!!!! sry for the cliffhanger they're almost in NY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!R&R**


	7. Chapter 7

"We got nothing," I moaned to my friends, once we were all comfortably seated and ready for take off.  
Macie cracked her gum in boredom. "Whatevs. We have a couple hour flight. Something will come to ONE of us."  
I was ready to tear my hair out now. Seriously. "Mace, we don't HAVE a couple of hours. Soon, my mom will be checking on us and we won't be there and we'll be snatched back to skewl before ANY of us can say the first syllable of "mission accomplished"."  
Macie sighed. "You need to chill out, Cammie. Everything will work out, I promise..." She casually flipped through the pages of TeenVogue, while TRYING to reassure me, but it obviously was so not working becasue my head was throbbing and my knees were weak, even in sitting position.  
"I'm going to sleep. Maybe I'll dream out a floor plan," I said, turning away from my friends. "Oh, good luck with that...," Liz called from behind me. Macie nodded and shoved her headphones in her ears.  
I thought we were all in this together, but maybe I was really in it alone. As I let my eyelids droop over my pupils, I sighed, but the sigh was shaky and sad. A million things were running through my head at once. How were we gonna hide ourselves from Mom? What would Zach think when he saw me? Were my friends doing this for me or for themselves? Was I going to return home dead or alive?  
The force of all these thoughts hitting me at once put me into a deep, bothersome sleep.  
_"Cammie? What are you doing in my school? Get out. Get OUT," a familar voice ordered harshly. I was sobbing. _

_ "You can't make me leave, Zach! I need to do this. I have to find them! I don't know about you...," I said, choking out my words._

_ Zach looked at me, hardly, his deep blue eyes, digging into my head. "Leave, Gallagher Girl," he breathed in a whisper. "Run as far as you can, and don't come back. Just don't_...."

Pant. Pant. Pant. Ew. I was sweating. I wiped a few warm beads of sweat off of my neck, and spritzed cool water onto my face.  
"Cam. You ok?," Bex's soft voice whispered in my ear. I jumped. "ya. Fine. Weird dream. But no ideas," I said, in defeat. It was still night outside, and we were flying in thick, dense clouds of darkness. I felt trapped.  
"Oh, ok. Don't worry. We'll figure something out. Worst comes to worst, we can make everyone worry to death and just not answer our phones. They won't find us in New York. That city is huge," Macie piped up. Whatever. Let my friends think what they wanted to think. But I knew my mom and I knew the truth. She would find me.  
"We're landing in about a half hour. Eat. You look pale," Liz said, handing me a tuna sandwich. I shook it off. I was too nauschous. What had my dream meant? I was not a girl of superstitions and deep translations, but that had been way too weird.  
Would Zach really kick me away? Just like that? After all that we'd been through together? He couldn't. It wasn't like him. But then again, Zach was a spy. There was a lot to him that I didn't know. I couldn't even begin to figure that kid out.  
I mentally kicked myself in the calf and shouted at myself not to worry so much. There was no reason to. The future would unfold in a few short hours. And I, Cammie Morgan, was ready to fight it.  
Groan. I was so doomed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Omg. New York was everything that I had ever imagined and more. Everyone here seemed snobby and high class, so us Gallagher Girls didn't feel out of place.  
"Wow," Liz breathed, turning around in a cirlce and snapping pictures of the abnormally tall buildings. Macie fluffed up her hair in attempt to compete with the stunning models that rushed on the sidewalks. She wasn't used to competition.  
I laughed. Everything seemed so amazing. Being in New York with my three best and snapping photos and just chilling out. Life would have been perfect, if it weren't for.....oh, yea, right...if it weren't for the fact that we had escaped school, were under fake identities, and struggling to find Blackthorne so we could solve a dangerous mission...then yea, things might fall under the "perfect" category. But they didn't.  
"Guys, snap out of it. We need to find Blackthorne," I siad, slapping Macie on the arm. She adjusted her pout to a confident smile, smacked her glossy lips together, and swatted me right back.  
"K. Do you think they're called Blackthorne just like we're called Gallagher Academy, but no one knows its for spies?," Liz asked. I shrugged. "Possibly. Ask the next person you see," I ordered, rubbing my cheeks to protect myslef from the cold. Spring was here alright, but the tall buildings casted their shadows over the sidewalks, completely blocking the sunshine, so there was an autumn-like chill in the air.  
"Done," Bex said, and turned to an official-looking man in a pinstriped business suit.  
"Excsue me, sir," she said, batting her eyelashes for effect. I snorted, quietly. No way was Bex getting anywhere with flattery, but it was quite fun to watch her try.  
The man looked at her and asked her politely if she had an eye twitch. Macie, Liz, and I busted out laughing.  
Wow. That was classic.  
"Um....no. Anyways, do you know where we could find Blackthorne Institue for Boys?," Bex asked, sweetly.  
"Ah, the snobby prep school....five blocks down and to your right. Huge building. Can't miss it," he said, and wlaked away immediately.  
Bex glided back over to us. "Rude. I DON'T have an eyetwitch, thanks very much," she said, flipping her jetblack hair over her shoulder and pursing her lips, angrily.  
I smiled. "K, guys, let's get to Blackthorne," I said, and my heartbeat sped up to about 1,000,000 beats per minute.  
We were really doing this. Just five blocks away, Zach was learning in a classroom. He didn't know I was here. Ok, this was strange. Never thought I'd be standing in such a setting.  
"Are you guys mad?," Bex shouted as she tightened the the bow on her cashmere sweater.  
"We need to check in to some sort of motel. We can't drag our luggage around like this. And then we need to eat lunch. I'm positivley starved..."  
I sighed. "Ok, ur right, ur right. There's a motel on practically every corner of the city. Let's go to the closest one," I suggested, and we picked up our pace.  
I didn't realize how long we had been walking for, but suddenly a stunning, enormous building came into view. It took my breath away. Literally. I coughed. But not because it was so huge or so gorgeous. But because Zach was just yards away.  
"U ok, Cam?," Macie asked, slapping me on the back with her hand.  
"Yea. Wow. I think we found Blackthorne," I said, eyeing the security with disgust. The tall men in navy uniforms were the only things holding us back, now.  
"Gold Bass Motel. Looks decent," Bex stated. I whipped my head around and sent my blonde waves flying in the air. Quite decent. Not really so decent. More to the quaint side.  
"Um. We could afford more than that, guys," I said, tapping my bag. "Mr. Mastercard came along," I reminded them with a wink.  
My friends looked at me as if I was nuts. I shrugged. "Moving on," I said, picking up my bags again. And there it was. The Waldorf Astoria, towering about 60 stories high and trimmed with gold moldings.  
"THIS, I can handle," Liz breathed, with a giggle. We checked in with the perky blonde at the front desk, and I threw in an extra few hundred bucks to go with the suite. It was more convinient for our needs. Ya know...spy needs.  
After settling down in the gorgoeus beyond gorgeous hotel room, I ordered Bex to shut the TV and put on a jacket. We were going out. Into the wild. To Blackthorne.  
Boy, did I hope the lions were hungry. Cuz they were about to be fed.


	8. Chapter 8

I reapplied my lip-gloss to reapply my self confidence, and turned to my friends, wisps of hair sticking to my lips. Ew. Ok, no matter how good my hair looked, I needed to put it up. This wasn't the fashion runway after all. This was real life. This was danger.

And no matter how much I wanted to look good for Zach (MAJOR CONFESSION, BTW), I knew that I couldn't. Professional spies wore their hair in sleek ponies. So that's what I did. And I still looked pretty awesome. The high pony pulled on my scalp harshly and gave me a migraine. My cheeks were slightly flushed from the chill and my emerald eyes radiated determination.  
"Procedure goes as follows," I began, sticking a few sounds recorders in the back pockets of the suit pants that I had changed into. Ok that was so not comfortable. Cammie, remind yourself not to sit down.  
The recorder antennas dug into my skin and were probably creating deep, red indentations right about now. But hey what could I do? Spying was about pain.  
"We're gonna go in through the side entrance. I did my investigations while you guys were idolizing Selena on TV....," I snorted.  
"So the side entrance is small. No guards. But it's locked and I'm sure t he inside is mobbed with boys. We can't get intimidated. That's why we're going as women. See?," I said, gesturing at my black pantsuit and the large white bow that pooled over the blazer's v-neck .  
"Get dressed, you guys. I laid some things out on your beds. Wear these ponies. My mom wears themwhen she's serious," I said, pointing to my head. "Then, we're gonna pick the lock, the alarm will probably go off, the boys will evacuate, the teachers will come running, but we'll have gone straight to the backyard where the boys will have evacuated to. Then we'll find Zach, pull him out, and question him," I said. His name sent a shiver down my spine. Why did this kid freak me out so much?  
Macie sucked in one side of her cheek, and tapped the indentation with her finger, deep in thought. "That's not bad, Cammie. But I think I have an even better idea," she said, flexing her arm muscles in preparation. I raised my eyebrow. Uh-oh.  
"Why don't we just BECOME the Blackthorne Boys?," she asked slyly.  
"Huh?"  
"Watch and learn....," Macie said, and took a baseball cap, piling her Miley Cyrus lock under the cap. I gasped. No way. No. I wasn't doing any gender switches for this. Groan. No.  
We all watched in awe as Macie buttoned up a white shirt, pulled on a tie, and rolled up the sleeves. She raised her eyebrow at us in satisfaction.  
"Whatcha thinik?," she asked, giddily. It DID work. But there was one issue.  
"Awesome. But we need to steal some uniforms," I said, tapping my cheek with the end of a bullpoint pen.  
"omg, what the heck? Just throw on the most masculine things you guys have," Macie ordered, carelessly.  
I sighed, in defeat. Macie was in charge now. I ripped out my ponytail and my head throbbed, achingly. Ouch,ouch, ouch. I made a messy low bun and stuck it into my Yankess cap.  
I threw on my baggiest pair of jeans, a white button down shirt, and transferred a girl's satin belt into a tie. I threw over the same blazer I had been wearing before and struck a pose.  
"Perfect," Bex said as she zipped up her navy cackis. "Just don't do that in Blackthorne," she warned with a laugh. Ya, guys didn't jut out their hips, put their hands in the air, and throw kissy faces. You bet I wasn't gonna do that, Bex. Hmmph. Stop bossing me around, people. Did my friends think I was clueless? I was the best spy there. I felt a pang of offense for a slight moment and then threw myself back into the mode. There were no time for emotions. No emotions against my friends, and no emotions FOR Zach.  
"Everyone looks great," I beamed. We really did. We were going to do this. We were going to be Blackthorne Boys. Wow, I really freaked myself out sometimes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ew, Mace, you reek of Burberry Brit," I said, pintching my nose together. Macie shrugged. "Some guys take joy in wearing women's perfume," she replied, easily.  
I snorted back a laugh. The cool air stung my face as I gazed up at the school building.  
"Ok, so here's the plan," I said, pulling my friends across the busy street with me. "Side door. Alarm will sound. Blend in with the boys as the teachers order an evacuation. It takes spy gear to get into those heavy doors. They'll flip out," I said.  
Liz's eyes widened. "Cammie, the guys know us from last semester. Someone's bound to see through these disguises," she complained in an annoying whine.  
I raised my eyebrow. "Liz, your entire face is hidden by your hat. I wouldn't worry."  
"Ready?," I inhaled. And I didn't exhale until all my friends nodded, and we sneaked into the side yard.  
"Lazar beam," I whispered. Bex handed me the small tool. I carved the door open with the tiny, strong light, and then there it was. We gasped. The halls were completely empty. It was obviously mid-period.  
The walls were lined in marble and the floor was gray and stone. It was stunning.  
"Wow," I breathed, and reluctantly stepped inside. It took us a moment or two to realize Problem Number One. The alarm hadn't sounded. I groaned, inwardly.  
"Omigosh the alarm didn't sound!," Liz echoed my thoughts.  
"Problem," Macie said, slumping down against a wall. "Macie, get up," I snapped.  
"Whoa," she siad, but listened anyway. No body dared to move. We were all afraid. If this small thing had gone wrong, there were about a million other things that could.  
We were too young for this. I needed to face the plain facts. We needed to leave. We needed to go back to the Gallagher Academy. As if reading my thoughts, Bex pushed my shoulder gently and pulled my chin upward, so that my eyes were staring into her's.  
"We're not leaving. How often do we need to tell you this? We're standing here IN Blackthorne. We made it this far. We're not going to be chicken and turn around and run. We just need a Plan B," she reassured.  
Why was everyone, BUT me so flippin relaxed about everything?  
"Okay. Macie, you make the calls. I'm tired," I admitted, adjusting my baseball cap.  
"Mkay. So...they're in middle of class. The bell shoudl ring in approximately...." Macie glanced down at her watch and her eyes widened. The bell rang. Ok, right about now.  
"Omg."  
Before we could even press ourselves up against the wall, the halls were swarming with hundreds of boys. Spies. Okay, I was intimidated. They were all good-looking. And they were all smart. And they were all.....staring right at us.  
"Don't move," I ordered in a whisper. The hallway went semi silent. A few guys didn't notice us, but most of them were looking at us, strangely, and whispering.  
Liz squealed. I smacked her.  
"Invaders. Invaders. Everyone evacuate the building immediately. Invader." A flashing, red light made my heart drop all the way down to my toes. A beeping siren filled the air. The boys scrambled for the back door, eyeing us suspiciously. Someone had reported our attack. I couldn't breathe so well.  
"Caught red-handed, eh?," a voice asked from behind. I didn't want to turn around. I couldn't. And not only because four teen age girl spies would soon be sitting in the principal's office of a boys' spy school, but because I could've recognized that low, sly voice anywhere. Zach's voice.

**SRY 4 THE CLIFFHANGER! SOOO SUSPENSEFUL RITE? DONT WORRY!! I CAN POST TONIGHT IF U GUYS JUST REVIIIEW!!!! i only got two for chapter 7 *sniff*. thanks for those of u who have the heart to type a few words of wisdom!!! please review, review, review!!!! LUV Y'ALL!!**


	9. Chapter 9

I whipped my head around, my cheeks flaming hot. And there was Zach, looking as cute as ever. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his sleeves were messily rolled up. His hair stuck out in all the right places.  
Zach looked at me, first with confusion, and then realization, and then concern.  
"Cammie?," he asked, uncertainly. I gulped. He hardly ever called me by my name and when he did, it gave me the chills.  
Before any of us could act, Zach pulled off my hat and sent my thick hair cascading down my shoulders in a messy heap.  
His eyes widened, but he stayed cool. "What are you doing in my school, Gallagher Girl?," he asked, softly.  
His blue eyes narrowed in wonder and he stepped closer to me. I couldn't speak. My throat was locked. Macie stepped up. "We're here to question you, Zach," she said, pulling off her cap and loosening her tie.  
He raised an eyebrow. O. M. G.  
"I asked Cammie," he said, poking his tongue into the side of his cheek and folding his muscular arms across his chest.  
Um. Ok. You asked Cammie. Cammie can't answer you now. She's kind of busy trying to figure out WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME WAS GOING ON HERE.  
"Um...," I began, but my voice came out in a high squeak.  
"We think you know something," I admitted, fanning my face with my hands. Zach took a step closer, even.  
"And what is that, Gallagher Girl?," he whispered. I felt his cool breath on my face and my whole body tingled. I straightened.  
I was confident and proud.  
"Don't try to deny anything, Blackthorne Boy," I said, my brow raised now as well.  
"I aint denyin a thing..." A step closer. Ok ,wow. We were, like, an inch apart now. His eyes were digging into mine. Stay strong, Cammie. Stare. Stare. Don't look away. I clentched my fists at an attempt to strengthen myself.  
"Evacuate building. Students still in building. Evacuate. Evacuate." I jumped back. Zach smirked.  
"Later, Gallagher Girl." He winked.  
"Oh, and good luck with Principal Brooks. He can be quite the devil," he said. And with that, he disappeared. Talk about De Ja Vu.

So that's how I, Cameron Morgan, found myself sitting in Mr. Brooks office, the headmaster of Blackthorne Institute for Exceptional young men.  
My back stiffened. "So you say that you know nothing of what this school is. You just think the guys here are good-looking, so you snuck in," Mr. Brooks shot back at us suspiciously. We nodded. Ok, it was a lame excuse, but I wasn't going to hand us over. Not now. Not when we were this far.  
"Okay. You may go." Wow, just like that. Hah, Zach. Who's the better spy now, huh?  
I smirked. "Thank you Mr Brooks, we won't cause any more trouble," I promised. Hah. As if.  
He nodded and waved us out. "Leave through the front entrance please and enjoy your stay in the Big Apple."  
"Thanks Mr. B." Macie called over her shoulder. And we were free.  
"Wow, that was close," Liz said, as we walked down the wide corridors of Blackthorne. "Yea. We need to do better research next time before acting," I decided, pulling off my tie and rolling up my pants.  
Suddenly, Blackthorne was back in mode. The boys came piling into the school from behind us. Now that our disguises were completely gone, we heard snickers and whispers all around us. My heartbeat quickened.  
Macie flipped her hair over her shoulder, flirtatiously. That kid never missed a boy moment, honestly. I craned my neck, to look for Zach, but failed.  
Sigh.  
"Looking for someone?"  
Groan. Gulp. Whatever.  
"Yes, actually," I said, spinning around to face him. "How'd you know?"  
Zach smirked. "Spy," he said, mischiviously, and pointed to himself.  
I faustered a smile. "Impressive. And now I get to question you. As I said before, you know something. And I'm not leaving New York until you let me in on it," I said, determination overtaking my system.  
He shot me a half-nod. "Enjoy your stay. Just warning you. The Waldorf is a pretty pricey place to live."  
And that annoying half smile spread across his lips again.  
I wasn't going to ask him how he knew I was staying at the Waldorf. After all, he WAS a spy, as he had so kindly pointed out.  
"Whatever, Zach," I said, and saying his name made me shiver.  
"I'm being kicked out of your school, so goodbye for now. But trust me. You'll be seeing me again," I warned stepping away from him. He smiled.  
"Oh I know I will, Gallagher Girl," he said, softly. "Because I know Cameran Morgan. And she isn't about to back out."  
Darn right, I wasn't.

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER JUST LIKE I PROMISED!!!!! Njoy and review, review, review!!!!! Thaaanks! ******


	10. Chapter 10

**hey guys!!!!! BEFORE U READ THIS CHAPTER, LET ME TELL U S/T. IT IS NOOOT REALISTIC. i am aware. lol. so if u wanna start questioning me bout the Waldorf and the spies and e/t, DON'T. cuz here's a forewarning!!! This HAD to happen according the story line exactly as is, so bare with me! THANKS X 10! N-JOY! ******

"Guys, we need techniques. This is so not working out," I complained, flexing my legs and stretching my neck. We were all sprawled across my king sized bed, and it was already midnight. Mom hadn't called. Should I have been offended? Sigh. Whatever. If she was doing fine without me, all the better for me right?  
"It's wokring out great! What do you mean? We got into Blackthorne!," Liz cheered, pulling her long skinny arms aaround her tiny b ust to keep from shivering.  
I shook my head. "Yea, but we didn't get anything from Zach." I sat there, motionless, recalling that day's weird encounterment. Zach hadn't even seemed all that surprised at me being there.  
And then the nagging thought, Why couldn't things between us take off just the way they ended? Why did it feel like we were starting from the beginning, on that wrong, sly, sneaky foot?  
Why wasn't he the Zach that I had left behind just weeks earlier?  
"Don't worry...," Bex interrupted my thoughts. "I have a plan, guys. A really good one," she siad with a sly smile.  
"I was waiting for the right time to share when e/o was all stressed out. So here goes. I think the time has come," she laughed. I smiled. Ya, it's come alright. I was hyperventilating, practically.  
"So in Mr. Brooks office...," she began, seating herself in Indian style and smacking her hands together in prepparation. Ya.....  
"I saw a notice for Code Black Test, in say, about two and a half hours from now...," she said, glancing down at her exclusively made lime green TOY watch.  
No way. Bex was a genius.  
"Bex, I love you! ," I cried and threw my long arms around her shoulders. She laughed and shrugged me off.  
"Who's up for an all nighter?," Macie asked, slyly. We all cheered.  
"Where are they going?," I asked Bex. Bex smiled.  
"Here. The Code Black is on an intruder thats staying here. Dont worry, not us. This is a fake. It was planned from last week. But thsi means that they're gonna be bursting all the hotel room doors open. And Zach was assigned room 204," she went on, clapping her hands together excitedly. And that had relevance to me because....OMG! I glanced at the room key. 204, alright. Could our luck get any better?  
"Omigosh! No way! Guys, we have a mission coming to our door in like two and a half hours. We need to get ready," I said, giddily. I hopped off the bed and exchanged my tank top for a warm long-sleeved, less exposing cotton tee. I kept on my sweatpants. Gosh, who cares? I pulled my cascading hair into a tight ponytail and tucked my sweatpants into furry uggs. Gah, the look went fine.  
"Ready for action?," I asked, and clapped my hands together to begin. We blasted the music and cleaned up the suite to perfection. I felt more freedom than I had felt in months. Singing into hairbrushes, dancing with my three BFF's, and throwing pillows into the air like there was no tomorrow. Could life get better? No. Which is why it got worse. Well, not really worse, but the freedom kinda drained out and the music was turned off, and we lay breathless, and panting on our beds. Just thinking. Which was the worst, when there were so many confusing things to think about.  
I threw a sideglance at the clock. It was already 2:15. Zach was gonna break into our room any second, and I was way too excited to do the honors of gagging him and locking him insdie. Reverse kidnapping. Sweet.  
"You ready, Cam? Up to you. We're gonna get Zach to speak tonight. I can feel it," Liz exclaimed, breathing air into her nostrils and shutting her eyes gently. I smacked her. "Dont' fall asleep," I whispered harshly.  
And that's when we heard the commotion. Feet stampeded across the carpetted halls, and guys pushed doors open loudly. Our's remained shut.  
My eyes never averted the door and soon they began to water from staring too hard. And that's when it happened. The door came smashing open. In walked........Zach.  
He saw me standiong there and his gut reaction was to turn and sprint, but he diodn't move. He just stared into my dangerous eyes, daring me to act. So I did. After all. I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone.  
I pulled him inside and smashed him harmlessly up against the wall. His breaths were loud and choppy. I slammed the door behind me nad locked it, turning right back to Zach.  
His stunning eyes penetrated mine, but I never looked away. Number one rule to get one to confess: Make eye contact and stare. Slightly narrowed eyes. Straight, tight lips.  
"You really don't want do this Gallagher Girl," he panted in a whisper.  
I tightened my grip on his wrist, slightly twisting it. "Oh, but I really do," I replied, lightly, moving my face closer to his. I heard my friends' footsteps descend and I could tell they were moving away from the conversation. Stay, I silently begged. Don't it was too late. they were on the other side of the suite already, and their hushed whispers were moans in the distance.  
"What do you wnat from me?," he demanded, twisting my wrist right back. I winced in pain.  
"I...I want you to tell me what my mom doens't want you to tell me," I blurted. His eyebrows rose.  
"And so you came after me? You're crazy, Gallagher Girl," he said, finally letting my wrist go free. I panted, heavily. We stared at each other for a moment, not moving. Not talking.  
"What...do....you....know?," I demanded, emphasizing every syllable, slowly.  
"Something that your mom doesn't want you to know....so why should I be the one to tell you?" he asked, circling my silluhette.  
"Because you know," I said, simply.  
"Ok. Here's the deal," he said, putting his hand on the doorknob to leave. I didn't move. I didn't pounce. I just watched him try and go.  
"You let me free. I'll think about letting you in on my little secret," he said, and now he wsa turning the knob. Don't give in Cammie. Be tough.  
Suddenly, I pounced. I grabbed on his hand. It was warm and soft. I pulled it off the doorknob.  
"Wow. Strong arm," he smirked. I didn't move.  
"Tell me now," I ordered.  
I twisted his arm again. This time, he winced.  
"Confess," I said, and twisted harder.  
"Whoa. Give it a rest," he said, and finally pulled away.  
He stared at me for a while and then sighed. He sat down. I looked at him, questioningly but took a seat on the floor next to him.  
"Cammie...," he began. And my heart went all tingly again.  
"What I know....it's too dangerous for you to know. I know you and your mom knows you. And if I ttell you, you might get hurt," he siad, quietly.  
I shrugged. "Spies take sacrifices right?," I asked hoarsely. He nodded.  
"I'll be okay....I won't do anything stupid."  
He laughed, half-heartedly. "Ya, right. I think I know you better than you know yourself."  
I shrugged. "It's a possibility."  
Zach laughed again. An empty laugh. The atmosphere was warm and it felt nice sitting here with Zach. I didn't want him to go.  
"Before I tell you anything....how did you know about our Code Black?," he asked, suspiciously.  
I smirked. "Spy," I siad, and pointed to myself. Zach shot me a half-smile, and offered a hand to help me up.  
"Now tell me something," I whispered as he pulled me off the floor.  
He sighed in defeat. "Your Mom....and Solomen....they figured something out over break," he admitted.  
My vision dimmed and the room spun. I had a huntch what was going to come next.  
"They....they know where your dad is." And then I fell to the floor.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Cammie? Cammie, are you okay?" Zach's concerned voice was a faint moan somewhere far, far away. The ceiling above me was spinning and my head felt heavy.  
I felt a pair of strong hands haul me off the floor and place me on the armchair, pressing a cold compress to my forehead.  
And then Macey's voice. "Zach, tell us exactly what happened."  
Zach was silent. I racked my brains for what had happened previously. At first, nothing came to me. And then it hit, like a lightning bolt. Silently and painfully.  
My dad. Zach knew. Mom knew. Mr. Solomen knew. My breathing became uneven again. Cammie, don't pass out.  
Zach grabbed my shoulder and shook it. "Deep breaths Cammie." His voice came out hoarse and frightened. He plopped down on the chair across from me and placed his forehead in his cupped hand. He shook his head, slowly.  
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have told her. It was stupid," he said, quietly. I wanted to shout back. I wanted to shout that he wasn't stupid. That I was glad that he had told me and that I was going to go and find my dad. That he had helped me.  
But when I tried to speak, I found myself too weak to move. My head fell against the back of the chair and my hair trailed down the side.  
"Told her what???," came Liz's horrified cry. Zach just shook his head.  
Through squinted eyes, I saw Bex inch over to Zach and stare into his eyes. "Zach, we're all in on this mission together. We came to HELP Cammie. Just tell us what you told her," Bex urged.  
Zach sighed. "I....I told her that they found her dad," he choked out, and put his head down again. Bex gasped. Liz and Macey followed suit.  
Hearing him break the news all over again, caused a wave of nauschea to crash over my head, and forced my slightly open eyes back down.  
A phone buzzed somewhere in the distance. Zach froze. "Oh no," he moaned.  
"When Cammie wakes up, tell her I'm so sorry," he said, sincerely as he backed out towards hte door.  
"And tell her to come talk to me again....soon," he said....and ducked out of the room. Just like that.  
I moaned. My friends came rushing over. Liz felt my forehead and spritzed cool water onto my face. My eyes shot open.  
"He....he left," I stuttered in a whisper.  
Bex nodded, sadly. "But he told you to come back to him," she reassured.  
I shook my head. "I need details," I said, getting up. A pain shot through my system.  
"I can't believe he just left after telling me something like that," I said. My heartbeat took up speed. My dad. He was out there. He was alive. And my mother knew. I felt a splurge of anger towards her. Why didn't she bring him back? Why wasn't she trying to fight?  
I clentched my fists in fury. My face flamed with anger.  
If she wasn't going to find him, then I was. And I needed Zach to help me.

**there u have it! chapter 10!! its UR CALL when i post chapter 11, so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! hope u luh-uuuuuved!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Cammie, we'll be here when you get back. We promise," Liz reassured, as she kindly helped me slip on my burberry windbreaker. I had gotten a little more dressed up that day seeing as where I was meeting Zach. Empire State Building. TOP. O.M.G.  
When I woke up this morning, guess what had been slipped under my door? A note. For moi. From Zach.  
It read,  
"We need to talk. So sry bout last nite. Meet me at noon on top of E.S.B.  
-Zach"  
I had spent a while excersizing my breathing skills, but now I was okay. I had a short, gray wool skirt on that complemented my gray ribbed tights, and a long plum sweater. I had completed the look with Marc by Marc wedges and a velvet flower on the side of my hair. It was the one dressy outfit I had packed. Okay, I admit it, I had been hoping for this to happen. Caught red-handed.  
"You look amazing. Go get em," Bex said, and she pushed me out the door. I took the elevator down to the lobby and exited into the rainy streets, sloshing through the puddles, rushing to get to the Empire State Builiding on time.  
And then it came into view. "Wow," I breathed and rushed up the stairs, the heels of my shoes clinking against the concrete.  
I climbed all the stairs. Ya, all. By the time I had reached the top, the insides of my thighs were soar and my throat was dry from panting so hard.  
"Cammie." An alert voice shocked me and I almost fell over. Sometimes wedges were NOT the best idea.  
"Zach," I greeted formally. The front of his hair was damp and tousled messily over his forehead. A short piece fell into his eyes. His lashes were soaked with raindrops.  
"I-I'm sorry about last night," he said, quietly. I almost laughed in his face.  
"Is Zach Goode really NERVOUS?," I teased, stepping closer to him. The rain fell harder now.  
He cracked a smile. "Not nervous. Just regretful."  
"About what?," I challegned. But I already had answers.  
"What more do you want to know, Gallagher Girl?," he asked, running his fingers through his dark hair.  
"Everything," I answered simply.  
He snickered. "I don't know if you've been out there in the real world, Gallagher girl...but you can't always have everything."  
I flintched. I took a step closer.  
"Well maybe I can."  
He whistled, lowly. "Talk about greedy. Here's the information I have," he said.  
I gulped, but kept steady eye level with him. "Spill."  
"They've always suspected something. But never had the guts to go out there," he whispered, mysteriously. Again, a burst of anger arose for my mom. How could she? She was the best woman spy there was out there. And she was too wimpy to go and save her own husband?  
"But then...last week....they did. They went. They found him....and my parents too," he said, looking down.  
The question was bubbling inside of me. I burst. "Why didn't they bring them back?" I choked back a sob.  
He shrugged. "I've been wondering the same thing. But Mr. Brooks went with your Mom and Solomen and told me what he found. But that's all. There was nothing else," he said solemnly.  
I nodded, disbelievingly. "Zach," I said, grabbing his arm.  
He looked up. There was something in his eyes that I had never seen before. Zach was sad.  
"Please. This is torturing both of us. We have to do this. We have to go and find them," I urged in a pleading whisper. Zach looked away, and a moment later turned his head back to me. He nodded, firmly.  
"You're right. We need to do this. It's up to us," he decided.  
And then he raised his thumb to wipe an escaping tear that fell, helplessly down the corner of my cheek.

*********************************************

"And so, you guys need to get back to the Academy," I finished, as I forcefully threw all my friends' clothes into their open suitcases. Macie grabbed my wrist in motion and snatched a pair of Liz's shoes out of my hands.  
"You can't make decisions for us, Missie," she said, placing a hand on her hip and swiping her bangs out of her eyes. I s ighed. Not this stuff again.  
Okay, well she wnated me to explain, so I was gonna explain. "Guys," I said, deeply, throwing myself onto a recliner.  
"We're talking about finding our PARENTS." My voice cracked. "You don't know how important this is to Zach and me. We would be willing to DIE on this mission, and I just can't risk you guys giving up your lives for something that's not even relevant to you," I explained in a rage.  
"Cam, when are you gonna start to GET IT?," Bex asked. She looked angry, confused, and hurt.  
"Yea," Liz chimed in. "No matter how much you force us out of here, we're staying. Because we're best friends. And best friends stay together. Feel each other's pain."  
Macie sighed. "So basicly what we're saying is....we WOULD die for you, Cam. And for your dad too," she finished, stepping closer to me.  
Okay, this was way too much. I officially had the bestest friends ever. Pullng them into a deep embrace, I knew I had been defeated again. Cammie, why bother trying?, I thought to myself as I inhaled the sweet scents of Chanel no. 5, Vera Wang Princess, and Burberry Brit.  
"We'll stay out of the way when you want us to," Bex assured me as she broke away. "But we're not leaving."  
I nodded. "This may take a while," I warned, zipping up a black terry hoodie and pulling my hair into a tight ponytail on the side. My sidepart looked sleek and professional.  
"What? Your meeting with Zach. Or the mission?," Liz asked.  
I sighed. "Both," I groaned, and ran out of the hotel room. Zach and I had agreed to meet in Blackthorne's backyard at midnight that night. We had to work out the plans. My heart hammered with fear and excitement as the heels of my flats clattered annoyingly against the concrete. I pushed my way past hundreds of scowling people and crossed over to Blackthorne's front entrance.  
The crowded city so late at night mesmerized me and I didn't snap back into it until a guy practically pushed me over. Whoa. Watch it.  
He grumbled something under his breath, but I shook it off and snuck around the side of the school to the back. There was Zach just as he had promised. He was with a couple of guys that I recognized from last semester, so I didn't show my face until they were a good distance away.  
My shadow glided across the plush grass, and I looked down at it, terror gripping my heart with hands cold as ice. Was I ready for this?' Was I ready to face a mission seemingly too dangerous for my Mom?  
I shook off the thought as if brushing away a mosquito. Cammie, you're brave. You're ready. You CAN do this.  
I inhaled and tapped Zach on the back. He jumped, but only slightly, and turned around to take in the mysterious, dark silluhette that had greeted him.  
"Oh, hey, Gallagher Girl." His whisper seemed unbearingly loud in the silent darkness.  
"Hi."  
After a moment of awkward silence, I gestured towards Zach hands, my own hands, remaining firmly in the pockets of my sweats.  
"What are you holding?," I asked. He shrugged and handed me the folded papers. Reluctantly, I unfolded them.  
I scanned the sheets, expectantly, looking for something mission-related.  
MISSION # 3: CAPTURED AGENTS  
SPIES: RACHEL MORGAN, JOE SOLOMEN, ANDREW BROOKS  
VERDICT: FOUND. DANGER. CANNOT RETURN.  
My heart fluttered. "Where did you find this?," I asked in a cracking whisper.  
"Mr. Brooks' drawer," he said, mischievously. I would've asked him a few questions about that task in its own, but I knew Zach would give me no answers.  
So I just nodded as if I broke into the headmaster's highly confidential information every day.  
"So let me get this straight. They were found. But it's too dangerous to actually bring them back?," I asked, spitting back obvious information.  
Zach nodded gravely in response.  
"So that's our job," I whispered, nervously.  
"Yup," he said, and his lips popped at the "P". He thrust his hands into the pockets of his cackis.  
Okay, so life was totally cool for Zach. His parents were found, his principal was too wimpy to bring them back, and now he was facing a life or death situation and was totally calm.  
DUH. So was I. Keep it cool, Cammie, keep it cool. I breathed sharply and shut my eyes for a split second.  
And then a thought struck me.  
"Uh...Zach?," I asked.  
His head cocked to one side, and his eyes did a once-over on my face, urging me to continue.  
"Where exactly ARE the captured agents?"  
I thought I saw Zach crack a smile, but it was hard to tell in the dim moonlight.  
"There's the catch," he said, stepping closer. Oh no. I HATED catches.  
"Destination: London."

**So whaddaya think!!!!!??!?!? REVIIIIIIEW!! Ill post soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

"LONDON??!"  
I covered my ears with my hands. Wow. I hadn't known that my friends has so much vocal potential.  
"Yea. Pretty crazy, aint it?," I asked with an eye roll. I pulled off my sweatshirt and tossed it onto the bed. Then I sat myself down in front of my laptop, and began to surf the net for plane tickets. Again.  
I sighed as I scanned the different ticket prices. Nothing below 750. What was so expensive about oil anyway?  
"Cammie," Bex started. "Do you realize that I live in London?"  
I jerked my head towards her and smiled. "Omigosh! YES! Okay, so does that mean we get cheeap airfare or something?," I asked, hopefully.  
Bex chuckled. "Not exactly. But you DO get free hotel rooms," she pointed out.  
I grinned happily. And then it hit me. "Bex, does your mom know that we're missing?"  
Bex sighed, and slapped her hand over her forehead. "No," she groaned. "Ugh, sneaking around is soo not a picnic."  
I nodded, agreeably. "Ex the free hotel room thing. There goes staying at Bex's house," Liz retorted from a far.  
A sinking feeling hit my stomach. Why hadn't my mother called me? Did she care about me?  
I straightened my back.  
Cammie, you're being stupid. Don't focus on someting so petty right now. You're finding your dad. You're going on a mission that top spies can't even handle. Don't think about your mom.  
Steadying myself on the computer desk, I sighed shakily and transferred myslef to the window seat.  
"Cam, what are you thinking about?," Macie asked softly as she stepped closer to me. I shrugged. No WAY was I admitting to my friends that my MOM was on my mind right now. There were more important things to think about. FAR more important things. Perhaps the fact that Zach and I needed to get to London ay-sap. Or the fact that four teenagers had escaped a top spy school and were probably being tracked down at that very moment. Or the fact that my dad was found and my mom was too chicken to bring him back.  
"Just this whoole London thing," I lied, through clentched teeth. I rubbed my temples with my index fingers and loosened my achingly tight ponytail.  
"Don't worry. We have Zach on our side. He'll totally figure something out. Did he say he'll do research tonight?," Liz asked as she stroked my back with care.  
My first inclination shouted to shake her hand off out of stubornness. But I knew that no matter how strong and confident I pretended to be, I needed my friends. Through everything.  
Stifling a tiny sob, I pulled my knees up against my chest and wrapped my arms around them.  
"Yea, he siad he'd look," I answered quietly.  
Liz nodded. "Kay. That means that you'll be in London before you know it. Sleep peacefully," she commanded and took her hand away. Silently and painfully, I begged for her hand to continue resting on my back. But she had slipped away. A tear slid down my cheek as I watched Liz slide into bed, and her tiny arm reach for the lamp. The room went dark.  
I snuggled my head in between my knees and cried, purposelessly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"It's on me, Gallagher Girl," Zach insisted at noon the next day. Here we were, standing smack in the center of Times Square, and Zach was so adorably paying for my plane ticket.  
"No it's fine. I can pay," I fought. But Zach merely lifted a hand to silence me. And it worked. My pleading died down just as quickly as it had began.  
"So where do you wanna go to discuss stuff?," Zach asked, turning his body towards the flashing lights of New York City. I shrugged. There were so many plcaes that appealed to me. How could I choose one?  
Zach snickered. "Fine, I'll choose for you," he siad, and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hectic streets.  
My heart fluttered excitedly and I glanced down at my watch. It was already 12:05. I had promised my friends that I'd be back in the hotel by half past.  
Sighing, I allowed Zach to pull me, and soon we were under the heated roof of Hershey World. I inhaled the sweet scent of chocolate and closed my eyes. Serenity had finally swept over me and I wasn't planning on rushing this moment by. Too bad. Zach rushed it for me.  
"Cammie, get in it," he shot at me forcefully. I opened my eyes, and nodded, slightly flushed.  
"Sit there," he demaneded, pointing at a chair, shaped like a hershey kiss. The chair was hard and it squeaked as I sat. He sat across from me in an identical chair, and let his fingers lock together, hanging in between his knees. He leaned forward and tilted his chin upwards towards me.  
"Okay. Here's the sitch, Gallagher Girl," he began, smoothly. I fought back a shiver. I locked my eyes on his flawless face and didn't move them from their position.  
"We leave in two days. We get to London at 1:00 pm on Sunday. We check into an inexpensive motel." I sighed.  
"Shut up, Gallagher Girl. I wasted half my money on you," he teased, playfully.  
I smiled, guiltily.  
"I'm sneaking into Brooks's office tonight to see how much more info I can find on Mission 3. For now, all we have is what I told you. Which means we'll be stumped for a while, just sitting in London with no place to go. Cuz I have no idea where they are," Zach explained, running his fingers through his thick dark hair.  
I nodded, slowly. "Good luck with that. Need help?"  
He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I think I'm capable."  
Whoa. Snappy much?  
Reading my expression, Zach chuckled.  
"Sorry, Gallagher Girl," he apololigzed without feeling. "But it's a guy thing..."  
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.  
"And the rest of this mission...it's a guy and girl thing," I said, forcefully. "And never tell me that I can't help you again. Cuz we're in this together."  
Zach whistled and locked eyes with mine for a moment.  
"Ok. Sorry. You're right. Meet me tonight at midnight. Same place as last night. Wear black," he said with a wink. And then he got up and disappeared into the crowd.

**I hope you enjoyed!!!! Review if possible!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Good luck, Cam," Macie whispered, shoving me out the door.  
"Oh and zip your Juicy sweat. The wifebeater is like glow in the dark under the moonlight," Bex advised. I rolled my eyes and did as I was told.  
After some more squealing and hugging, I rushed down the hall towards the elevator and punched in LOBBY. I stared absentmindedly at the ceilings as the elevator began to descend. My stomach dropped. And I was pretty sure that it had nothing to do with the elevator.  
Breathe, Cammie. I sucked up air through my pursed lips and shut my eyes, forcing a blanket of calmness to enwrap me. I needed to get my nerves down.  
Tightening my ponytail confidnetly, I pushed open the doors to the Waldorf and stepped out into the cool night air. Major De Ja Vu. Why was sneaking out after curfew suddenly turning into a habit for me?  
Oh. Right. Spy.  
I hugged my velour-covered arms to my chest and rubbed the smooth material with my frost bitten fingers. Panting nervously, I rushed across the street, ignoring the cars that were honking furiously at me.  
I snuck to the back again. This time, Zach was turned towards me, staring at his watch impatiently.  
"Sorry," I said, chewing my lip. Zach looked up and raised an eyebrow. I looked at my watch. Oh my gosh, was he serious? It was like 12:01 on the dot. What did this kid expect from me, anyways?  
"Let's go," he demanded in a cool whisper. Following Zach up the moonlit pathway seemed as if I was in an odd dream. Or nightmare. I couldn't quite place it.  
He slipped through the back door, smoothly and I followed suit, squeezing myself through the narrow opening with much difficulty. Gasping dramatically for air, I reached the other side. The same hallway that I had seen on our first day in New York.  
I sighed. So much had happened since then. Secrets had been fed to me and lies that I thought were distant and untrue, had proved themselves to be reality.  
We walked up the dark corridors in silence.  
"What are you thinking about?," Zach asked, suddenly. Why was everyone so interested in my mind lately?  
I shrugged. "Everything," I replied, easily. And it was the truth. So many thoughts were running through my head right then, that it was hard to place something in specific.  
He nodded as if he understood. And he did. Zach was going through exactly what I was going through. His parents had been found. He was going to save them.  
"Zach," I said, abruptly, grabbing his sleeve. He stopped walking and stared down at me, intently. His sharp gaze was like the strong rays of the sun, forcing me to look away.  
"Do you think we'll find them?" I asked in a strangled whisper. Zach didn't blink. He didn't crack a smile. He just stared off into the distance and then sharply turned his head back to mine.  
"Ya. Ya, I think we'll find them."  
And I breathed a sigh of relief. Because I trusted him.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The hallways were dark and cold and I shivered in spite of myself. Zach swatted my arm, warningly. "Don't make a sound," he said, his eyes hard. I nodded and gulped. If these hallways hadn't looked welcoming in broad daylight and swarming with faces, then it DEFINITELY didn't look so gracious now.

"Where's his office?," I whispered. Zach pointed straight ahead, flashing a small laser light onto the gold plaque that suddenly lit up brightly.  
It read: Headmaster, Mr. Brooks  
"It's locked," I noticed aloud. Zach rolled his eyes. Slightly embarrassed, I attempted at hiding my blushing cheeks inside my sweatshirt, but then realized it was probably too dark to see them anyways.  
"We're spies, Gallagher Girl," Zach reminded me with a shrug.  
"We find ways to accomplish the impossible."  
And with a naughty smirk, he pulled out a hoop from his pocket, containing three different keys. Flipping them around to the shiniest key on the hoop, he stuffed it into the lock and the door burst open.  
Impressive.  
Ever so nonchalantly, Zach reached over to the wall and flicked up the switch. A blast of light poured into the room. I blinked my eyes a few times, adjusting to the sudden change.  
"Zach. What if someone sees us?," I asked in a panic.  
Zach snickered. "Calm it, Gallagher Girl. No one's gonna see us," he assured, and he started opening and closing drawers, and flipping through stacks of paper.  
Sighing in surrender, I began doing the same. My insides felt queasy, and I felt my cheeks burning up. There were definitely some things in here that were majorly confidential.  
And then I saw it.  
I hit Zach's arm, my eyes not moving from the target.  
"Ouch. What?," he asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.  
My hand shaking, I lifted a finger, and pointed at the small metal case in the corner of the office, that was locked ten times over. No joke.  
The label on the locker read "MISSION # 3."  
I turned to Zach just in time to see his warm eyes widen. Together, we walked slowly towards the case, excited and nervous at the same time.  
"So....how are you gonna get THAT thing open?," I asked, breaking the tense silence.  
Zach shook his head, as he leaned in to examine the locks.  
"Pretty tight," he decided, with a groan. I sighed. Okay. This was great.  
All our answers were literally inches away from us. And I wasn't going to let us leave without them.  
"I have an idea," I said firmly and lifted the case with my hands, banging it notoriously loudly against the concrete walls.  
Zach grabbed my hands off the case and pulled. But I wouldn't budge. Finally he knocked the case free out of my hands. It fell to the floor with an enormous thud.  
"Cammie, are you out of your mind?!?!," he whispered, hoaresly. I shrugged with a groan.  
"Now the whole school is up and Mr. Brooks will be here any second," he whined, slumping down against a wall and burying his face into his hands.  
Ok, so I made a mistake. But I was determined. And girls with goals didn't just give up. Not like my mom.  
Then I heard them. Heavy footsteps were hitting the stone floors just outside the office and my breathing became unusually unsteady.  
"Cammie," Zach said in a low whisper.  
And before I could respond, he grabbed my hand, pushed open the window and pulled me over. We tumbled over the high hedge, hitting the cold grass.  
I winced as a sharp pain shot through my leg. Zach untangled his arms from mine and rubbed the back of his head.  
And then we both realized what had happened.  
"Oh my gosh, the locker!", I cried. I threw my long arm back over the window, feeling the floor of the office for the case. And then my fingertips hit it. It was cold and hard.  
I pulled it up and threw it over, just in time to hear the office door click open.

**Hope u enjoyed. Requesting seven (i noooo random number! lol) reviews before chap 14! Thanks**


	14. Chapter 14

"Don't move," Zach mouthed. His body was shaking and lips had turned an odd shade of white. Watching Zach act afraid made my terror ten times worse.  
A fear had gripped my heart and I wasn't breathing.  
So many things could have gone wrong right about then that I was too scared to even think. First....cold, hard footsteps. Then...A flash of light bobbing aaround the walls that I couldn't see fully, but I sensed it.

My head felt as if it would burst from the lack of Oxygen. But if I took a breath then, it would be too loud.

I squeezed my eyes shut as if it might make time move faster.  
And then a series of yelling. But the words were drowned out my panic. All I knew was that Mr. Brooks was mad. BURNING mad. He had discovered the missing locker.  
Zach was panting heavily beside me. He pulled me off the grass and whispered "RUN!"  
I did as I was told. The trees were a blur of forest green, and the black sky was spinning around me.  
Zach didn't release my hand until we were in the lobby of the Waldorf. My breaths were heavy, and coming faster and shorter with every heartbeat.  
"You....o....kay?," Zach asked, breathlessly. I nodded. My throat was too dry to speak.  
And then I noticed it.  
"Zach....you....got....the...locker...," I spoke with much struggle. He broke out into a half smile and nodded.  
Happiness took over fear just as quickly as the fear had come on. We had the case. We had all our answers. Just locks away.  
And I felt happy and confident.

* * * * * * * * * ** * * *

"Tell us what happened," Bex said, forcefully. I smiled, victoriously. My face was radiating happiness and Zach's annoying smirk didn't move from its place.  
I pointed to the metal case. The label on the top said it all. My friends gasped.  
"How. Did. You. Get. This.," Liz said, slowly.  
Zach snickered.  
"We snuck into Mr. Brooks'!!!," I squealed, squeezing her hand with excitement. They gasped all over again. Talk about dramatic teens.  
Zach rolled his eyes.  
"I'm out," he said, lifting his hands in surrender.  
He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and waved it in the air. "If you crack that thing open, you know how to reach me," he said, gesturing towards the case that now lay in my hands. And he ducked out of the room.  
And we shrieked some more.  
When we had finally settled down, Bex threw herself onto the bed and grabbed the locker with her.  
"Sharp laser beams won't go through this," she said, examining the lock, intently.  
I nodded. I had THAT much figured out.  
"So what do you suggest?," I asked, sucking in my cheekbones thoughtfully. Bex shrugged.  
"Whatever it needs, we don't have it," Macie said, coolly, strutting over to the bed.  
I sighed. Macie was right. We were far from the gadgets that this thing required. And it wasn't helping my oncoming headache.  
Holding my forehead in my hands, I sat by the windowseat, staring into the strong thick raindrops that had begun to fall.  
My heart began hammering against my chest. Zach and I had made it this far. We had all the answers just steps away. We were leaving to London in just two days and my dad was there. Really there.  
I sucked in a rush of air and exhaled slowly. I was calm. I had to be. Because I wasn't going on this mission to seek fame or reward.  
I was going on this mission for one purpose. And one purpose only.  
I was going on this mission to seek a beloved.

**Hope u approve!!! Review. Good or bad, im prepared!! lol** **;-)**


	15. Chapter 15

Airports were becoming a second home to me. If you could call a security-packed stainless steel, noisy building a home. But I had been here often enough in the past two weeks to refer to it as a home.  
I didn't realize this mission would involve world travel, but I had to admit, it was pretty exciting.  
First New York, then London. I wonder when L.A. and Chicago would come in. Cuz, ya know, those are the five places that have department stores. Seen it on all the Saks bags.  
Zach nudged me with his elbow, and I tried my hardest to ignore the tingling bolt that shot through my system from his brush. Slightly shuddering, I turned to him, my knit bureau making its way to the floor. Scowling, I leaned down for it.  
I heard Zach snicker in the background. Groan. This kid was NEVER gonna leave me alone. And, yet, I had it bad for him. REAL bad.  
"Get a move on, Gallagher Girl. You walk way too slow for me," he said, and his eyes twinkled playfully. Liz, who was standing with Bex and Macey a few paces behind us giggled into her hands.  
I had to remind myself to give that kid a SHUT UP speech once we were alone. She never stopped staring at Zach and I and it was starting to get on my nerves. I laughed along with her, in spite of myself.  
Zach looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and shot him a "don't-ask-ME-what's-so-funny" look.  
He smirked, shook his head, and looked back down at his boarding pass. "Here's our gate," he said, pointing ahead.  
FINALLY. The walk to this side of the airport had taken FOREVER and the awkwardness level between Zach and me had began rapidly rising.  
I rushed ahead to grab a seat and smashed my bag down. Zach casually strode up to me, still looking deeply at his papers.  
Eye contact was NOT an option for him. Was I seriously too ugly to look at? Tugging at my sidebangs self-consciously, I bit my lip and slid into a seat.  
Bex, Liz, and Macey ran up and plopped into seats surrounding mine.  
Zach snickered. "What?," I asked.  
"I just can't believe how I got myself into this...," he smiled.  
"Into WHAT?," I asked forcefully.  
"Into going to London with four girls."  
I chuckled. "Are you having a hard time with it?," I teased.  
He shrugged. "So far, so good." And then he winked at me, and turned back to his papers.  
Okay, if it was possible for a heart to melt, mine did. I fanned my face with my boarding pass and pursed my lips, trying my hardest to look calm.  
Cuz, my friends, believe me. I was FAR from calm.

* * * * * * * * *

"So how did you end up getting out of school?," I asked Zach, making small talk.  
He shrugged.  
"Just left. I'm good that way...," he said with a smirk.  
I smiled.  
I was getting antsy and longed to hear the announcer's voice over the PA system announce boarding time.  
But she was still in middle of paging people with weird names to the main desk.  
So I was stuck here.  
"And you? Has your mom called in yet?," he asked, cocking his head to the right.  
I gulped. Touchy topic. No she hadn't called, but I didn't want Zach to think my mom was a careless whimp....well he had the whimp part down-pat, but careless too? Gosh, Mom, what was wrong with you?!?!?  
I shook my head. "Uh...no. Not yet."  
Zach folded his pass in half, tucked it in his bag, and looked into my eyes. Why, oh, why did his eyes have to be so gorgeous?  
I swallowed.  
"She cares about you Cammie. I know she does," he reassured in a whisper. How? How did he know for sure?  
I swallowed back my tears. But to no avail. They formed quickly and steadily in the corners of my eyes and spilled over fast.  
"How do you know?," I asked aloud.  
Zach shrugged, touched my shoulder gently and smiled.  
"Spy."

**how cute r they? Review**!!!!!


	16. Chapter 16

The airplane was stuffy and small. I squeezed my small body in between a lovey dovey couple and threw myself in towards the window seat, dropping my carry-on, on the floor below me.  
I knew how the seating arrangements would work, and I was NOT looking forward to it. The scenario was quite unfortunate actually. Ya, I liked Zach and all, and he had made my heart flutter and my blood flow quicken from day one, but...there was a difference between one on one for seven hours, and flirting from afar, while laughing with friends.  
I'd prefer the latter any day. Which was why I groaned inwardly as Zach threw his bag onto the seat and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn.  
He plopped down next to me and pulled down his seat tray, powering up his laptop.  
"Already?," I asked, scrunching up my nose. I was referring to his rush for technology. I mean, was I seriously so boring? I silently slapped myself. Cammie, be normal. Don't be unconfident now. You need all the confidence you can get. I straightened my spine as pursed my lips.  
Zach shrugged.  
"We need a plan. I've been carrying around this backpack with the metal case inside for the past few hours, and I'm ready to drop it soon, so if we don't crack it open within the next seven hours, I'm throwing it overboard," he warned. His face was half serious. And that kinda freaked me out. So I inhaled, unzipped ZAch's backpack, and pulled out the locker, staring deeply at its label as if my penetrating eye glare would pop it open.  
It didn't.  
Missoin 3, mission 3, Mission 3....The words blurred with every second that ticked by, and the rims of my eyes were turning red.  
Zach poked me with his index finger. "Any idea?"  
I shook my head. Stretchign my seatbelt with me, I leaned over my seat towards where Bex, Liz, and MAcey were sharing a three seater, and flipping through the channels on their personal TVs boredly.  
I snapped my fingers once. Macey pulled her headphones out of her ears, and looked up at me with droopy eyes. Bex stopped muntching on her airport pretzels and tucked a black lock behind her ear. Liz dropped the miniature remote control into the seat pocket in front of her and stared at me, totally prepared.  
"Guys. It's your job to get this case open. Zach and I will work out what happens in London. Good Luck!!," I said, and managed a small smile and wink before I sunk back into my seat with an uncofident sigh that I didn't want my friends to hear...  
But Zach heard. Because I couldn't possiby hide from him.  
"Stress much?," he asked. I groaned and buried my face into my hands.  
Zach wasn't laughing. He wasn't smiling.  
"Cam, please calm down...," he begged, silently. But his voice didn't sound pleading. He remained coolll and contaied, ust like always,  
I sucked in a breath of fresh air, and opened my eyes. I would do this. For Zach. For his parents. FOr my dad.  
"You're strong. You know that don't you?," Zach asked, quietly. His hot breath tickled my face.  
My heart stopped. I WAS strong. I just needed to convince myself that.  
I managed a weak smile and looked at Zach meaningfully, but my insides were complete liquid.  
I felt weak in the knees and giddy inside my heart and my whole mind turned to air, as I watched Zach cautiously lean in for a sweet kiss....

* * * * * * * * *

My heart was pounding against my chest. My ears were popping, and although it may have been because of the fact that we were taking off, it added on to my jitters.  
I didn't want to open my eyes. Didn't want to have to face him...  
Was it shame? No. What was there to be shameful for?  
My cheeks were flaming red, but I wasn't embarrassed. And then I placed it.  
I was happy. Insanely, insanely happy....  
My eyes fluttered open. Zach cocked his head to one side and smirked.  
His cheeks, were too, flushed, but Zach Goode didn't get embarrassed. So he was happy too.  
I smiled, knowingly. Zach and I...we shared something...something special. Things were so much easier with him than with Josh.  
The feeling was something odd...so hard to explain. Josh and I had something in between us...a heavy, steel wall, stopping us from becoming closer. Lies, secrets...  
But Zach and I...everything seemed to be out there, although Zach was the most mysterious person I knew. It was all so strange...  
As all these t houghts were gently flowing through my mind, I watched Zach serenely as he leaned in to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.  
"I've been wanting to do that since last semester, you know...," he whispered.  
Quick, Cammie. Think of a good comeback. Dang. You're so slow. I silently slapped my face. What was wrong with me? It was like Zach put me on freeze mode.  
"Um, ya...so have I...," I stammered. Cammie!!! Stop!!!  
Zach chuckled.  
"You don't have to be nervous," he assured me in another sly, low whisper.  
He's right....I didn't have to be so nervous.  
Breathing slowly, I felt my fists unclentch, and my shoulders go down.  
"Nervous for what?," I choked out, finally. My voice sounded surprisingly calm, though.  
Zach shrugged.  
"Anything...don't be nervous about anything."  
I sighed.  
"What do you think will happen to us, Zach?," I asked, inviting fear back into the conversation.  
He shrugged again. His eyes seemed distant.  
"I wish I could answer you, Gallagher Girl," he said, smoothly.  
"But I just don't know..."  
Zach had admitted uncertainty. And that was a bad sign. A bad, bad sign.  
Stiill numb from the kiss, I turned my head towards the window and allowed my thoughts to drift with the clouds....

**Ok guys u got what u wanted!!! REVIEW!!!!!!**


	17. Chapter 17

"What?!?!"  
"Guys, shush...!!!!!," I urged, blushing furiously. If Zach heard me freaking out about him to my friends all the way from the bathroom stall, I'd be dead for good. Well, in a mental sense.  
Dead in a physical sense... well, I could probably expect that too. Because I was almost in London. Almost about to face the fears that had been bottled up inside me since I heard that my dad had been found.  
The plain fact that had been laying so obviously before each and every one of us, but none of us had the power to say it aloud was bubbling in side of me...we were in danger...we were approaching the valley of death. And I was sooo not being over dramatic.  
Breathing steadily, I pushed the dark thought aside, although it really remained on top.  
I turned back to my friends.  
"Ya, and that's what happened. And now I should go back to my seat before Zach gets back from the bathroom," I said, pulling myself off Macey's lap. Her bony thighs were hard to sit on, and I felt like they would snap into two if I pressed any more of my weight upon her.  
"Bye," I said with a wave, and ducked back into my seat. Taking advantage of Zach's lack of presence, I pulled out a tube of gloss and lightly swiped it across my lips. What was wrong with me?  
I was Cammie Morgan, the down to earth girl who never had the urge to impress a guy before...just liked one a lot. Or two. But, now...especially at a time so serious and grave...I was on a plane to London, applying gloss like there was no tomorrow.  
But the troublesome thought didn't stop me. I pulled my hair out of a ponytail and shook it out so it looked like I had the girly flair that I REALLY didn't have. Cuz I was a spy.  
A spy in love.  
Oh no.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The buildings below grew larger and larger as the plane descended.  
"Ready for this?," Zach asked, a forced smile playing on his lips. I shrugged. Was I ever ready?  
"Yup," I lied, confidently. Cuz, come on. I wasn't gonna act whimpy around this guy. Never. Ok fine, I did already, but could you have blamed me? I was a helpless Junior who's dad had been missing all her life. And now he had been found. But her mom was too scared to save him.  
Whoa. I sounded PATHETIC on paper.  
Snickering, Zach unclipped his seatbelt, stood up and stretched. Honestly, I couldn't place what was so funny.  
Snorting, I did the same. I pulled my carry-on out from under the seat, and threw it over my shoulder.  
I caught Macey's eye, and she smiled calmly. A smile that said, "don't worry, everything's gonna be fine..."  
And I only half-believed her. Cuz how COULD everything be fine?  
We were four determined teenagers landing in London with no place to go and no clues to a mission in progress.  
"Zach, we did amazing with our lay out on what happens when we land in London," I said, my tone dripping sarcasm.  
Zach smiled weakly and followed me down the aisle. "Yea, we kinda did, didn't we..."  
I forced a laugh. But again, it wasn't funny. Nothing was funny. We were at risk...treading in dangerous waters...possibly even drowning, by now.  
Noticing how pasty my face had gotten in five seconds flat, Zach touched my arm with concern.  
"Everything alright?," he asked.  
Suddnely, I wanted to shout back. I wanted to scream, "NO! It's not alright! We're never going to find my dad this rate....NEVER!" But I didn't. Because I couldn't admit to anxiety.  
So I just nodded. A lie. Just a white one, but a lie at the least...  
Where were my girlfriends w hen I needed them? Seven hours with Zach cracking jokes, and making me squirm and sweat was enough.  
So I relaxed my shoulders, and my eyes twinkled with renewed hope when Bex, Liz, and Macey came bouncing behind us.  
"Guys, wait up for us!!!!!," Liz squeaked.  
Thankful for the ice break through, I stopped and let Zach slide in front of me so my friends could catch up to me faster.  
His body pressed against mine as he took his position ahead of me. My heart fluttered, but I silently scolded myself. STOP CRUSHING ON HIM. You need to focus.  
"Cammie, don't give up...You need to have confidence in yourslef..in all of us," Bex whispered in my ear, when she had finally reached me.  
"What makes you think I'm not confident?," I asked, fidgeting with my ponytail nervously.  
"Best friends will be best friends....," she answered with a smile, and squeezed my hand reassuringly.  
And she was sooo right. Best friends will always be best friends...no matter what happens. Even something as crazy as this.

* * * * * * * * ** * *

Finally. The sweet taste of fresh air. I gulped in a load of clear Oxygen and closed my eyes serenely. Well as serenely as possible, when standing right outside an airport with weird-shaped British cabs honking viciously at you.  
Zach nudged me across the street. "Gallagher Girl, green means go," Zach said, pointing to the padestrians light up ahead. The word "WALK" was lit up in dancing green dots.  
I snorted and ran ahead of Zach to catch up with my friends. Why was he making me so irritated and uncomfortable?  
We had kissed only a few hours ago, and I had been dying to impress him just before. But now, I wanted to get away from him. Because...well, because, maybe he wasn't serious about this mission...? Could that have been it?  
But he WAS. He WAS serious. He understood me. So well. And beneath his playful eye twinkle, there was a layer of sadness. A glassy glaze over his sharp green eyes that showed he felt just like I did.  
So I still liked him. A lot. But his quirks were just getting SLIIIIGHTLY on my nerves. Or was that even it?  
"Earth to Cammie....get in the cab," Macey ordered, waving her narrow arm in front of my face. I shook my head slighlty and blinked, before sliding into the cab.  
The car reeked like wet newspapers and old leather.  
Zach slid in beside me.  
"Why'd you run away from me, Gallagher Girl?," he asked, his breath hot on my cheek. Why? Um...because you're annoynig. Because you don't care. Because you're an insane distraction to my priorities.  
So THAT was it. I was in denial. Denial that I liked Zach. So I was running away. Because I needed to focus on finding my dad.  
But instead of saying all this, I just shrugged.  
"I was cold," I lied. Shocker. Cammie Morgan doesn't lie. Snort. Riiiight.  
Zach nodded his head and raised his eyebrow, a look that said, "I see right through you, Morgan..."  
Duh. Zach saw through everyone. Everything.  
I felt completely transparent when facing him, but yet safe and comfortable at the same time.  
Life was confusing. Love was confusing. Sigh.  
"So...where are we going, guys? Can't just cruise aimlessly through London, you know," Bex said.  
She looked at me expectantly. So did Liz and Macey. And feeling weak and tired, all I did in response was turn to Zach.  
"So?," I asked him, harshly.  
"Any hotel that offers bed space and fecilities...," he said, simply and turned away from me.  
' Gosh. Was he mad at me now?  
But I had only just established that I WASN'T mad at him.  
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.  
Fiercely thrusting my bag onto my lap, I turned away from him as well, and placed my lips in a tight line, staring straight ahead.  
Well. Two can play the game, Blackthorne Boy.

**ok xtra long chapter...well not rly so long but for ME**

**u gotta admit its long. lol njoy and review**


	18. Chapter 18

So that's how we found ourselves in a hotel possibly comparable to the Leaky Cauldron. Hello? Harry Potter? Sigh.  
The wooden floarboards creaked dangerously underneath me, and I felt as if my size seven shoe size was suddenly absurdly huge.  
I walked up to the front desk hesitantly (well, if you could even CALL it that), and smacked my MasterCard on the desk with a ponytail flip.  
"Two rooms please. And make them your nicest," I said.  
The blonde-woman-with-a-bob raised her perfectly waxed brow and pulled down her blazer, snobbily.  
"We're british. We don't accept American money," she said, smirking ever so slightly.  
I felt a flush creep onto my neck and make its way to my face.  
Zach snickered. Groan. I so wanted to punch him right about then.  
"Uh...I'm...not sure...." The words that left my mouth sounded stupid and cluless, because, well, that's what I was...  
Saving me some humiliation, Zach pushed me aside and calmly strolled up to the desk. He placed a few crisp-looking rectangular papers in front of "blonde-woman-with-a-bob" and raised a brow.  
"British through and through. You can examine them if you want," he said, boredly.  
Go Zach!  
How did he get ahold of that money anyways? Right, Cammie, I forgot...We don't ask this guy questions.  
Slightly angry and irritated, blonde-woman-with-a-bob counted the bills, threw them into the cash register, (yes a cash register. like the ones in a supermarket. In a hotel), and handed us two weak looking papers.  
"Your room codes. They have combos...," she explained, pointing at the numbers on the center of the receipts.  
We took them, and made our way towards the rickety wooden, spiral staircase that lay at the end of the quaint lobby.  
"I'm just a room away, guys. So knock if you need me," Zach said, briskly. And then he sped up the stairs, leaving four shocked-looking teenagers behind.  
Excuse me? Did he just do that? Sure hope he didn't. Because if Zach Goode thought that this was a good time to mess with me, then he was sooo wrong. So, SOOO wrong.  
Red in the face with fury, I threw my bag over my shoulder, pushed up the handle on my rolly suitcase, and angrily banged up the stairs.  
The staircase shook and a few pieces of dust fell. Talk about shabby.  
"Cammie! Wait up!" I heard Liz's squeaky cry from just a few steps below me.  
I stopped.  
Breathlessly, my friends caught up to me.  
"Don't let him get to you," Macey begged.  
I shrugged. "He's so not getting to me," I lied.  
"Suuuuuuuuuure," Bex said, absentmindedly picking a lint off her t-shirt.  
"Fine. He is. But how dare he? How dare he have the nerve to do this to me when we're on a mission to save our parents? He has GOT to be kidding me. We're in this TOGETHER! If he's mad at me, then...then......Gosh, guys, I can't do this alone," I admitted, helplessly.  
Liz stroked my back and led me the rest of the way up the stairs, while my face remained buried in my hands. I wasn't crying. Just furious. REALLY furious. And no one wanted to see a tomatoe red face. So I did them the courtesy of hiding it.  
Once we had punched in our room combo (with much trouble), we barged into the room and threw our bags onto the bed.  
"Cam. Is there a reason why Zach'd be acting this way?," Bex asked. Oh, the reasonable one. Sigh.  
"Well. I may have been kinda giving him the cold shoulder and shrugging him off. But that's because..." Could I admit to my friends that I really liked Zach (well, they knew, but...) and that the only thing wrong with him was that he was perfect which made him so irresistable and distracting?  
Whooooa, Cammie. Breath between thoughts.  
And then I did admit it. I said everything on my mind.  
There was silence for the next moment, until Macey, casually twirling her hair around her finger, said, "I think you should tell him that."  
Was she insane? Yea, probably.  
"What?! Tell him? Are you nuts?!"  
Macey shrugged. "Maybe," she said nonchalantly.  
"No-definitely," I confirmed. She shook her head. "Whatever. This isn't about how sane I am. This is about you explaining things to Zach, which will help him focus and especially if you tell him that you're really, really into him, he'll get really into the mission...."  
'Macey, how do you know this?," I asked, with a sigh.  
"I know just about everything," she replied, easily.  
"Point," Liz chimed.  
My shoulders slumping, I drew a breath and then let it leave through my nostrils.  
"You think that ME telling ZACH GOODE that he's an irresistable distractoin, will make him work harder?," I asked. It sounded even more stupid when it came out of MY mouth. Well, duh.  
Macey nodded enthusiastically. "EXACTLY!"  
"Ooooookay." I was completely unsure, and my feet were kind of unsteady as my friends pushed me to the door and urged me out.  
"Don't be TOO pushy, just let him know that you still care about him," Macey explained.  
' I slapped a hand over my forehead. "I kissed him for goodness sakes. Isn't that enough proof?!?!"  
And then, realizing that the walls between our's and Zach's room were made of nothing but decaying old paper, I inhaled sharply, and lowered my voice.  
"I should really go?," I asked one more time, just in case Macey had changed her mine. But, no. Cuz that's how life worked.  
"Yup."  
So I pulled open the door, breathed confidently, and watched as a piece of crumbling wood fell off the door and onto my head.  
Gross.

********************************************

Timidly, I knocked on Zach's door. A weak knock. A wimpy knock. Because I was possibly more frightened to talk to Zach than I was to die on this mission.  
There was no sound or movement on the other side of the door. Just silence. Heavy silence. Sad silence.  
Then, I heard rustling. And fidgeting with the doorknob.  
And there he was.  
His normally perfectly flipped hair was tousled on the top and his eyes squinted into small, angry slits when he saw me. But deep within those slits...deep within the penetrating green that colored his irises....I saw, well, hurt. That was the only word for it.  
"What do you want, Gallagher Girl?," he asked, coldly. But not necessarily meanly.  
Wanting to appear confident, I stormed past him, and into his room that was identical to our's, seating myself on a tiny chair in the corner.  
"We need to talk," I said. My voice was clear and demanding. Zach cracked a smirk through his exhaustion.  
"Don't pretend to be confident, Gallagher Girl. I can see right through you."  
Go figure.  
I shifted my weight from one side of the chair to the next, with discomfort.  
"Ok. You caught me. I'm nervous," I admitted, folding my arms across my chest. "What do you want, a metal?"  
Zach snickered. He walked closer to me.  
"No. Don't need one of those." His eyes were deep on mine, but his thoughts seemed distant.  
Then we just looked at each other. For what seemed like ages.  
"Don't make this harder for me than it already is, Zach," I said, my voice cracking. Zach stepped closer, even.  
I stood up.  
"What harder for you?," he asked, cocking his head to one side. And continuing to decrease the small distance that kept us apart.  
Ok, I needed to regain my confidence. One, two three....you rule the world, Cammie!  
"What I'm about to do." My voice changed, my body language changed...suddenly my head was high, and my voice was smooth. No cracks.  
"And what's that?," Zach asked, smoothly.  
Now, I stepped closer.  
"I'm gonna tell you why I was ignoring you earlier," I said.  
Zach's eyes flickered. His smile twitched.  
I was on top of him now. Score.  
When Zach had no response, other than a drastic facial expression change, I went on.  
"Zach...I like you. A lot."  
Ok. I said it. Happy, Macey!? Cuz I felt so insanely stupid at that moment that if things didn't work out well from here, then things would go DOWN for MAcey. Way, way, down. And that was a promise that I made with myself at the awkard, heavy moment that followed my confession.  
Zach stayed cool. Cuz, Zach Goode was a cool guy.  
But knowing him all too well, I saw the change. His eyes were light again. His smirk was back. And he stepped closer.  
"Funny. Doesn't seem like you do," he challenged. Gosh! I thought I would get away with leaving out the whole 'irresistable distraction' part. Guess not.  
"I do. And that's the problem. I need to focus on finding my dad. I don't know about you Zach, but I didn't go on this mission for us. You know, me and you...," I began awkwardly.  
Zach raised his eyebrow, and his smile remained etched on his face.  
"I'm here to find my dad. That's it. And if you keep on...."  
I stopped.  
"Keep on, what?" Zach's voice was low and hard.  
I swallowed.  
"If WE...," I began, this time more accurately. Zach smiled with satisfaction.  
"If WE keep on doing this. Being together. So close. Then maybe it'll ruin our focus," I said. I was quiet and nervous again.  
Although I was looking down, I sensed Zach stepping closer. Until I could feel his breath on top of my head. A light strand of hair gently tilted upward as Zach exhaled, evenly.  
"So you think we shouldn't be together?," he whispered. I felt his gaze on the top of my head, and it was like a gravitational force, nudging me to look up and meet his eyes. So I did.  
Bad idea. Really bad. They were stunning. Did I mention Zach had stunning eyes?  
I swallowed, again.  
"Um."  
Zach smirked, but ever so slightly.  
"Maybe this will help you make up your mind."  
And he tilted my chin upward and kissed me.  
And the scene was a LITTLE more romantic than kissing on a taking off airplane. Just saying.

**K guys…so I want constructive criticism…im all for it. But I also lu-UHV praise, so I wudnt mind some of that thrown into …lol…good for my ego. BUT N E WAYZ, REVIEW!! It all comes down to the same thing…lol hope u Njoyed it : - ) **


	19. Chapter 19

I burst back into my hotel room, my face flushed with happiness. Macey raised her eyebrow and smirked to acknowledge my presence, but didn't look up from her nails which she was filing, absent mindedly.  
"Don't thank me," Macey said. I laughed.  
"Kay, I wont...."  
I paused. Then, I flung my arms around Macey's tiny shoulders, practically pushing her down with my weight.  
"Thank u, thank u, thank u!!!!!!," I shouted.  
Macey chuckled, and pushed me off of her body.  
"Save it..."  
Throwing myself onto my bed, and stuffing my face into my pillow, I told myself that I needed to calm down. ZACH WAS JUST A GUY.  
Ok, maybe not just a guy. Maybe he was the cutest guy that ever walked the face of the planet. The sylest guy. The coolest guy. And he was MY guy. And that made my heart go crazy in a way it never had.  
"So what exactly happened?," Bex asked, as a flint of curiousity sprinted across her tough face.  
I shrugged, distantly.  
"I don't know. Just this, and that...nothing major," I said.  
Macey snorted.  
"Ya, riiiiiite." She flipped her glossy hair over her shoulder and poured her nail shavings into the plastic garbage can under what was SUPPOSED to be a desk.  
I laughed, in spite of myself.  
"Zach's a private guy. As you all know," I said, forcefully.  
"I don't think he'd 'precciate me telling you much," I said, vaguely. Macey snorted again.  
"Like ZACH has anything to do with your mysteriousness..."  
I laughed again.  
"Whatever. Enough about school girl crushes," I said. EVEN THOUGH ZACH WAS SERIOUSLY MORE TO ME THAN THAT.  
"We need to focus on this mission....where's the locker?," I asked, jumping completely back into mission mode.  
Liz flung her tiny arm towards the desk, where the case sat.  
Staring at it made me angry. I stroked the MISSION # 3 label, timidly.  
A fire had welled up inside of me. Determination. All the answers were just beneath my fingertips. If only I could open the case...  
There was a knock at the door. I jumped and snapped myslef out of my distant reverie.  
I pulled the door and there stood Zach. When he saw me, he smirked knowingly and then gestured for the rest of us to come close.  
"I know we can't get that case open, but we can't just mill around this place until we do. We need to search until we can find the answers ourself. Just like your mom and Mr. Brooks did. From scratch," he said.  
Wow. That was meaningful. Zach really had feelings. He was just as determined as I was to find his missing parents. And that meant a lot. It showed me that Zach was human...sensitive. No matter how much he tried to hide it. And was successful at hiding it, for that matter.  
"So where do you think we should start?," I asked, flipping my pony over my shoulder.  
Zach shrugged.  
"Let's just get out of here. And Cammie, grab your laptop. We'll take it to a nearby Cafe' and google some possibilities," Zach said.  
Aaaaaaaaah. Relief. It felt good that he was taking charge. Because no matter how much I tried to convince myslef that I was the best spy out there, I knew that I wasn't. And I needed a partner.  
Zach was the best they got, after all.  
"K, give us a sec to throw some decent clothes on," I said, lifitng my index finger, and pushign Zach out of our room.  
Zach chuckled.  
"I'll be waiting right here," he said. And stood against the wall on teh side of the room door, his arms folded, and his right foot propped up against the wall. He had a far-off look in his eyes and a playful smirk on his lips. Goodness, he was so cute.  
Once the door was closed, and Zach was out of sight, I threw off my solid white tee, and pulled a cardigan sweater over my head, with a badge on the upper right hand corner. Keeping the school gal, status.  
The emerald green color of the cotton did wonders for my shining eyes.  
I pulled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, slipped into ballets, and piled my impossibly thick blonde hair into a bun in the middle of my head.  
"Whoo, Cammie. Fuh-aaaaaaancy," Macey cooed, stepping out of the bathroom.  
I blushed.  
"Speak for yourself," I mumbled, taking in Macey's silk BCBG wrap shirtdress, gray patterned tights, and black suede ankle boots.  
"Whatev. I dress to impress. What can I say? And COME ON, we're in London!!!! The city of fashion!," she said, throwing her hands up in the air.  
I rolled my eyes.  
"Mace, focus," I begged.  
She put her hand over her heart, in mock hurt. Or was it mock?  
"I am SO focused, Cammie," she insisted, shaking her hair back.  
"Whatever," I said. Because truthfully, there was nothing else to say.  
And then I swung open the door, pulled Zach off the wall, and made my way downstairs, displaying insane determination in my walk.

* * * * **** * * *

It was pouring. Completely and menacingly pouring rain droplets. Argh.  
As the thick strips of cold rain hit the top of my head, I shivered, and hugged myself with my arms. Zach looked at me, and I thought I spotted a flicker of worry sprint across his sly face, but I was probably wrong. I mean, Zach didn't have time to worry about freezing girls.  
We were on a mission. A dangerous mission. And that made me shiver some more. Good job, Cammie. You really know how to warm yourself up.  
Liz put her arm around me and rubbed her hand up and down my upper arm to heat my body up. Yummmmmm. The cashmere of her sweater hit my cotton one, and made me feel instantly better.  
"Look. There's a cafe'. Let's order some coffee and power up your laptop," Zach instructed, leading us through a large double door entrance.  
A wave of heat hit my face and travelled down to my toes. Mmmmmmmm. The dim lights of the London Cafe' were inviting and warm. They almost made me forget the mission, the danger, the worry, the fear. ALMOST.  
I matted my wet hair against my forehead, and pulled out my bun, allowing cascades of damp hair to fall down my back. Zach couldn't take his eyes off me. HA.  
"Order, maybe?," I siad, with a smirk. Zach shook his head, quickly and l ooked at me, sheepishly.  
"Ya, sure, what do you guys want?"  
After taking our order, Zach disappeared to the front, leaving us four to ourselves.  
"Kay, guys. Let's do this," I announced, as I flipped open my Apple Notebook and pushed the power button.  
As we waited for the laptop to power itself up, Macey slid her hand across the table and covered it over my own.  
"Cam. I want you to know that I AM focused. I really do care. I promise," she said. Her voice cracked.  
Oh, no. I felt terrible. Completely and utterly TERRIBLE. Why had I even opened my big mouth in the first place? Why did I have to tell her that she wasn't focused enough? Because, DUH she was. She was my best friend. She cared. No matter how dressed up she got for a day in London.  
I shook my head, regretfully and squeezed her hand.  
"I'm so sorry, Mace. So, so sorry. Of course you're focused. I KNOW you are. I'm so sorry...," I said over and over again.  
Macey cracked a small, weak smile and took her warm hand off my rough one.  
"Just wanted you to know that. That I love you. And I'd die for you."  
Aaaaaaaaaw.  
I reached over the small round table and pulled her in for a hug.  
"Love you too, Mace.... and Bex and Liz, get over here. Eight arms are better than four," I laughed, inviting them into our embrace.  
And the four of us sat like that for a moment, hugging and loving. And that one moment felt like it lasted forever.

**what'd u think?!? i nooo nothing major, but just a little moment of friendship. there'll be action soon i promise! as long as u guys review, i'll keep em coming. sorry for not posting in FOREVA. u nooo how midterms r! BUT NOW IM ON MID WINTER BREAK. and heading for FUH LORIDA!! yummmmmmm, its WARM there. lol. anyways, the point is ill be gone for a wk but back to check my reviews and im not gonna post till i get TEN!!!!! k!??! k so review and all of those that have the heart to write a few words of wisdom UR THE BESTEST!! :- )hope u njoyed!**


	20. Chapter 20

"No, Zach! I can't do this anymore! We've been working on this for days and...NOTHING," I cried, helplessly.  
I was sitting in a wooden chair in the lobby, Zach opposite me. Macey, Bex, and Liz were brainstorming in the room above us.  
"I think," I began, gravely. "We should go home."  
I swallowed.  
I couldn't look up. Couldn't meet Zach's gaze. Because I knew that all that would be staring back at me was surprise, hurt, and pain. I didn't want to let Zach down, believe me. But I was a failure. We all were. No offense to anyone.  
Zach didn't lean forward and tilt my chin up. He didn't clear his throat. He didn't move. He just let me sit there like an idiot staring down at my thighs.  
Soon, the moment was so heavy with awkwardness, that I needed to look up. Needed to do something.  
The expression on his face was identical to the one that I had expected. His mouth was agape. His eyes read pain.  
"Why?," he asked, finally. It was a wonder how many times his voice cracked on one syllable.  
I shrugged. Tears brimmed the edges of my eyes. No, Cam. You can't do this. You can't cry.  
"I-I'm too young for this. Too inexperienced. Not strong enough...."  
Zach shook his head, slowly. His face now displayed disgust.  
"How could you, Cammie? After escaping Gallagher Academy, flying to NY, breaking into BLackthrone, getting me to admit, flying to London....how could you just give up? After you've come so far?," he asked.  
I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know," I whispered. BEcause I didn't. I didn't know how I could be doing this. All I knew was that i WAS doing this. And it was possibly the stupidest decision I ever made. Or the smartest.  
"You know what, CAmmie? You're just a wonder. An absolute puzzle," Zach spat.  
I jumped back slightly, surprised by his outburst.  
Before I could respond, ZAch stood up and went on, forcefully.  
"You think this is all about you. Your dad. Your mom. That if we don't solve this, you're gonna be the only one at stake. WEll, you know what, Cammie? ALthough I may have not cried as much as you, or haven't been freaking out as much as you, or as scared, this is about me too. My parents. THe family I never had. Blackthorne is my home. Mr. Brooks is my guardian. ANd I hate that, CAmmie. And if you drop out, I'm not gonna pity you and go on and on to tell you how much your dad needs you. I'm gonna be selfish and say that I need you to help me find MY parents. And by you leaving, you're not only ruining it for yourslef, but you're ruining it for me, too. My chance to have a family. To be loved."  
His face was flaming red. His eyes were dancing with fury.  
I was frozen. Zach's words had travelled straight through my skin and had hit my heart with a force, undescribable. I was speechless. And so I just shook my head over and over, and stood up. I walked over to Zach, placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked into his eyes.  
"I'll do this," I announced, with clentched fists.  
"And not for myself," I went on.  
"But for you."  
ZAch didn't flintch. No smirk. No eye twinkle. He just hugged me close and whispered in my ear, "Thank you, Cammie."

****************

I was a brat. A selfish, disgusting, obnoxious brat. How could I have hurt Zach like that? Why did he even LIKE me to begin with? Why did he continue putting up with me?  
Because he was strong. And he was selfless.  
But ME? NO. I was none of those. I failed in ways that were so low. Too disgusting to fathom, and yet I did it. I was selfish. Selfish, selfish, selfish.  
Zach had been hurting. So much. But he had tried to push it aside; to ignore it. And that was difficult for him. How could I blame his outburst?  
He had been so strong for so long. He had pretended to pity me, but really HE was the one that needed pity. He lacked much more than I lacked. One parent more. And that one parent made the hugest difference in the world.  
I mentally slapped myself. Ouch. Cammie, you're a jerk. A terrible jerk. I slapped myself some more.  
And then I began to cry.  
I cried until my eyes burned. I thought about Zach. His strong expression, his snide remarks. Underneath that, he was in pain. He had been in pain all along. Even from the moment I met him, last semester.  
Who would have thought that cool, calm, collected, Zach Goode would be suffering more than any one could imagine deep down?  
There was a hushed knock at the hotel room door.  
I couldn't face anyone. Not now. Not when I looked like this.  
But, I regained my composure, wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt, and pulled the door open.  
"It's us," Liz said, quietly.  
"Can we come inside?," Macey asked, skeptically.  
I nodded. "Sure, why not?"  
Bex sighed, and pushed her way past me, throwing herself onto the bed.  
"Do you want to tell us what happened?," she asked. Her voice didn't sound forceful; prying. Just calm and curious.  
"It's your call. We're not gonna force you," Macey siad softly  
I sniffed. What was I supposed to do? I loved these girls and I knew that they loved me too. But my story was way too humiliating for the public. Wait a minute. My friends were not just the public.  
They were a part of me. Each girl sitting in this room at that moment, was a piece of my soul. Of my heart. They were the pieces that made up ME. Cammie Morgan.  
So of course I would tell them. And they wouldn't laugh. They wouldn't be ashamed. They would sympathize. Because we were one.  
So I launched into the mortifying tale.  
"And now we're gonna do it," I finished off, my eyes staring past them and out the window.  
"We're gonna save them. Zach's parents. And he's gonna be okay. We're all gonna be okay."  
"We're gonna win."

**K guys-back from florida and charged up to wrote-not to mentioned TANNED!!!! BPYALPHA I know that I threatened u but once I wrote this, I honestly wasn't waiting for u to post urs, but pls do n e wayz!!!! Lol. BTW e/o hu doesn't know bpyalpha, and ur a clique fan, check out her AWESOME fanfix for p.s. I loathe you, worse than a backstab (continuation of p.s. I loathe you) and the alphas which is lisis upcoming series about skye Hamilton! She's my fave and im sure you'll love her too!! AND STAY POSTED FOR HER GALLAGHER GIRL STORY WHICH SHE BETTER POST AYY SAAAP!!!! And now back to me-hope u enjoyed and please review. I'm requesting 15 for chap 21!**


	21. Chapter 21

I was recharged. Prepared. Ready. Ready to face anything and everything.  
We all were.  
"Okay guys, here it is," I said, throwing the locker onto my bed. "This is when a bright idea comes to one of us and we shriek and crack the case open," I said, calmly.  
Zach snickered.  
"Let's watch that happen..."  
And then I saw it. A faint, green, blinking light on the bottom of the locker. Skeptically, I walked towards the bed, picked up the case and turned it over, examining the light intently.  
Oh. My. Gosh.  
It was a fingerprint lock.  
All along...  
The other ones had been a fake, to try to veer us away from finding this one. But, here it was. The light blinking rapidly and weakly, and the black thumb-sized button, waiting for its matched fingerprint to land upon it.  
Well, yeah. None of our thumbs were its matched fingerprint, but we would find a way.  
"Zach, c'mere," I whispered, still not averting my gaze from the button.  
He edged closer to me, and peered over my shoulder.  
"Fingerprint," he whispered. I nodded, gravely.  
Macey, Bex, and Liz came closer.  
"Omigosh, how did we not notice this earlier?," Macey cried, throwing her hands over her mouth. I shrugged, while shaking my head.  
"It's been hidden. Who looks past metal locks to the bottom of the case, at a faint, blinking light? It's a trap...," I said, my voice trailing off along with my thoughts.  
"Well, trap or no trap, now that we found this thingy, we better get to work," Zach annoucned, taking the case from my hands. He held it close to his eyes, and the green light hit his green eye, coloring the whites of his eyes, just for an instant.  
Suddenly, Macey jumped up. She ran towards the dresser and started opening and closing drawers, frantically. The dresser shook.  
Gosh, what in heaven's name was that crazy girl doing?  
"Mace, what's up?," I asked, rushing to her side.  
"Make-up," she murmured, absent mindedly.  
No. Way. Make up?! Was she completely and utterly insane?  
Well, yeah, we established that already.  
"Macey, now's not the time for make up. You look okay," Zach said, impatiently. Omg. Nuh uh. Did Zach just say Macey looked okay? And where did t hat leave me?  
Goodness, Cammie, get over yourself. Stop thinking about whether Zach ever told you THAT before. Which he didn't, by the way.  
But that so wasn't relevant now, right?  
"Cam, throw me my make up bag. Quick!," Macey shouted, after spotting it across the room on the bathroom vanity.  
Not really knowing WHAT Macey could possibly have in mind, but trusting her anyways, I ran into the bathroom, retrieved the make up bag, and threw it towards her.  
"Okay, someone gimme the locker," she ordered, frantically.  
Zach threw it at her. Ouch. It hit her with a thunk. Speedily recovering, Macey set the locker down on the dresser, and took out a compact blush case, with a brush.  
Okay, I was SERIOUSLY confused now. And seemingly, so was everyone else.  
Zach stood with his arms folded, and his eyebrow raised.  
Liz just looked utterly blank, and Bex wore a "what-have-you-gotten-yourelf-into" look.  
She over loaded the brush with blush.  
Okay, this was getting weirder by the second.  
Then, she took the blush brush and swiped it across the thumbprint layer, until it was fogged out by powder.  
"Cammie, hand me a blackhead strip," Macey demanded, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.  
I raised my own eyebrow, but did as I was told.  
Macey pressed the blackhead strip against the fingerprint scanner, and pressed down hard, rubbing the strip until the pink of the blush was visible t hrough the white tape.  
Then, miraculously, almost as if in a dream (no seriously, it was waaaay too good to be true), she pulled off the strip, and the green lights scanned the fingerprint in.  
The locker popped open.

******************************************

**ok so i agree this process of macey's may be a little difficult to understand, but TRUST me, it makes sense. i've seen it! well, if movies count...: - ) lol. so now that its open, aren't u just DYING to see what's inside?! then REVIEW! **** : - ) ****requesting....hmmm...12???? thanks! hope u luved times ten! **


	22. Chapter 22

We gasped.  
The case was filled with folded papers, and crumpled ones, and white ones, and black ones. The mission was right there. At my fingertips. ANd yet all I did, was gaze, glassy-eyed, motionless, at the hundreds of answers that sat before me.  
Then, after what seemed like a frozen moment, Zach took action.  
He rummaged through the papers, forcefully, his normally steady breath, loud and choppy. His eyes were burning with a fire of determination. And underneath that, hope.  
And I watched him.  
"Cammie?," he asked. His voice was strangled, and he never looked up from the case.  
"A little help here?"  
OMG. I was standing there like a total and complete idiot, WATCHING Zach look. No.I was in on this. I was strong. I was a spy.  
So I took out the first paper that came in contact with my hands.  
My fingers shook with excitement, or maybe...fear? Fear of HAVING the answers, because now I knew that I had no choice but to chase them. And that was terrifying.  
At first, the words were a bold, black blur. And then, when my eyes came into focus, the mushed letters began to take the form of words.  
MISSION 3...Captured agents...Rachel Morgan. Steve Brooks**...(A/N: k guys 4give me, i forgot what his first name was from my other chapters, and i have no time to go bak. lol)** Todd Morgan. Harold Goode. Mia Goode.  
I searched, frantically, for something i DIDN'T know. Something new. Information.  
And then I saw it. An address. I didn't know if it was an office, a school, a house, or the most dangerous spy headquuarters in AMerica. But, whatever it was, my dad was inside. Zach's dad. Zach's mom.  
I became dizzy all over again, as if realizing for the very first time, that I was steps away from my father. The father that I had no recollection of besides a torn picture of him and Joe Solomen. A father who had never hugged me, or kissed me, or whispered a simple "I love you." At least none of which I remembered.  
"Zach," I managed in a whisper.  
But, there was no need. He had been behind me the entire time, reading over my shoulder.  
"We have to go," he said. His voice was clear...loud...fierce. And it startled me.  
But as soon as I recollected myself, I nodded. "Now."  
Bex, Liz, and Macey stood anxiously across from us, not knowing whether to intrude. And looking at the three of them standing there, their eyes small with confidnece, but wide with fear...I knew that they couldn't come with us.  
I couldn't risk losing them. Putting them in danger.  
"Guys. Please stay here," I pleaded in a whisper.  
I was expecting them to jump at me and shout angrily. But I got no response.  
Until Bex walked towards me, hugged me tight, and whispered, "we'll be routing for ya, Cammie."  
I smiled, weakly, and thought I felt a small, innocent teardrop fall down my cheek. And that's when I extended my arms, inviting Macey and Liz into our embrace. A small part of me knew that I should probably relish this moment, because it may never come again. But the other, fierce, part of me shouted differently. This WOULDN'T be goodbye. There would be other times. Because we would survive. I would come back to these people even if it took a fight that my mom was too frightened to fight. Because I loved them. And they needed me.  
And with that thought, I grabbed my coat, pulled open my door, and as I looked back at my friends' terrified faces once more, I knew that I would return.

**k guys, i noooo its a short one, but i've had writers block for the past like TWO WEEKS, and i'm rly sorry for not posting, i hope u guys forgive me and still review this. and yes, i promised after 12, and it was soooo mean of me to not keep to that promise, but writers block happens, but im asking for 20 this time so i can give myself more time to keep to my promise. i rly luv u guys and appreciate evry review so NEVER think its for nothing! on that note, hope u enjoyed, and pls review!!! : - )**


	23. Chapter 23

74 Cardinal Drive. 74 Cardinal Drive. I replayed the innocent address over and over in my mind until I found myself actually muttering it under my breath. "Shh, Cammie," Zach ordered in a hiss.  
We were standing against the front desk, waiting impatiently, for blonde-woman-with-a-bob to finish up with a hotel guest. We needed a local map. ANY map. Because London was huge and we had NO clue where 74 Cardinal Drive was. Sigh. So many answers. Yet still so many questions.  
I mean, c'mon, was I EVER gonna win?!  
"Um, excuse mE?," I said, forcefully, as I leaned over the desk to tap the woman on the shoulder. She turned her head toward me, ever so slightly, and raised her perfectly waxed brown eyebrow. Wow. Talk about intimidating.  
"Uh...we need your help," I managed in a stutter. Blonde-woman-with-a-bob swivelled around in her chair and folded her arms sharply on the desk making straight eye contact with me.  
"WHAT?," she spat. Ok. Freaky. Just needed a hotel map. Cut the drama, woman.  
"We need a map, if that's possible," I said, as steadily as possible. Because, BOY, did I have no patience for this woman.  
When she didn't reply, I leaned in closer and said, "NOW."  
Zach touched my shoulder, warningly. "We don't want to get into anything. Not now. Not when we have places to be, Cammie," he whispered. Was I EVER gonna get over the feelnig of his hot breath tickling my neck? Obviously not, because I STILL shivered, even when I had MUCH more important things to think about.  
Blonde-woman-with-a-bob actually looked startled, and she began fishing through some papers in the corner of the counter. I turned my back on her and touched Zach's arm.  
"Whats the plan?," I asked. He shrugged.  
"Cammie. I know we're spies and we should have plans and technical gadgets and metal boots that can fly and shoot fire. But this isn't about that. This mission...it isn't a mission for me. It's more of a...a quest. All I need is my parents. And that desire is so strong, that, thats' the only weapon I NEED to conquer this guy. Whoever he is. Or she," he said. His voice was low and meaningful and his eyes were glassy. Look away, CAmmie. Look away before you melt.  
"Ya. I feel the same way," I choked in a whisper. Zach touched my cheek gently and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind my ear.  
"We're gonna win this. I promise," he said.  
"Do you want the map or not?," a loud voice interrupted. BLonde-woman-with a bob was staring at us, holding out a piece of paper, cracking her gum, annoyingly.  
Zach jerked his strong hand away from my cheek. Well, it had been a nice moment while it lasted.  
"Let's go," he siad, pulling me by the hand. And we opened the double doors to the hotel, inviting the moist London air up our nostrils. The sun beat down on the pavement. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was beautiful. I dared my self to tear my gaze away from the cloudless dome that encircled me.  
"Cammie, get in it. We're gonna do this. We're gonna get them."  
And we were off. To face the music. To face the enemy. To find our parents.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Um. Hi. Where was Cardinal Drive on the stupid map????  
"ZACh???? I don't see Cardinal Drive here," I said. My voice was shaking and my breath was short. When I snuck a sideglance at Zach, he was almost smiling.  
"Right there, Cammie," he said, pointing to a tiny street on the upper right hand corner of the map.  
Whoah. How had I missed that? Ok, time for a self confideence boost.  
Cammie, you're awesome.  
Cammie, you're strong.  
Cammie, you are one hundred percent fearless and death proof.  
Breathe.  
"Ya...I knew that."  
Zach snickered, in spite of the fear, the danger, and...well, everything. "Sure ya did."  
So, I was everything BUT Zach-proof. Because Zach never ceased to make me shiver, or make my heart flutter, or make my blood rise all the way to my cheeks, that it was surprising nothing overflowed. I was a SPY, for goodness sakes. Fearless of everything...BUT the opposite gender.  
Sigh.  
"We should probably have some sort of plan," Zach said. Snap. His voice cracked. Why was he nervous? Why was he scared? If Zach Goode was scared, then SO WAS I. Wait.  
NO.  
You are not scared.  
"Nah. We'll be fiiiiiine, " I said. So how was that for acting fearless?  
Zach ran his lean fingers through his rich thick dark shining curls...whoooooooa, Cammie. Slooow down. Enough adjectives. Tee hee. Ok. Bottom line was, ZACH WAS ANXIOUS.  
"Don't worry, Zach. We'll do fine," I said, quietly, squeezing his arm a LITTLE too tightly. But, please. My voice may have been fearless, but deep down,,,,UH-UH. I was anything BUT.  
Zach nodded, curtly and continued walking. His feet moved briskly across the damp pavement and the sun shone brightly, making one side of his face slightly more flushed than the other. His eyes read complete determinatoin and his lips were tight and straight. His jawbone was clentched and his fists were tightly curled.  
"There it is," he said suddenly. I followed his index finger to the street sign that read "Cardinal Drive." His voice was low and steady and frightening. His eyes were squinted in a way so terrifying. Suddenly, he broke into a run. I wanted to shout out after him, but all I found myself doing in response was chasing after him. But WAS I chasing after him? Or was I simply running for the same reasons Zach started in the first place. Was I running to get to Cardinal Drive? To get to my dad? To give the guy who had been causing Zach and I utter misery for all our years a good knuckle sandwich? Yup. That was DEFINITELY the reasonwhy I was running.  
The wind whipped my hair out of my eyes and my ears were indifferent to the sounds around me that dared try to enter them. I had one focus. One goal. Zach and I were almost there. Steps away. Minutes away. Seconds away.  
My heart was doing something it had nevfer done before. Dad. Dad. Dad.  
It coudn't wait another moment.  
But my heart....and I...had to be just a little more patient.  
We made a sharp turn into Cardinal Drive. 74. 74. 74.  
"YOu take the left! I'll take the right!," Zach panted from beside me.  
So, with a fierceness unmatchable to anyone else's, I ran up the street, looking on my left, my eyes impatiently scanning the house numbers, searchihng.....searching......Where was 74???? Where was it?  
When my eyes had made their journey across the entire left side of the block, I stopped running, and turned slowly towards Zach.  
"Cammie. Look," he said. His voice was strangled and his back was stiff.  
I followed his gaze. No! My eyes must have been playing insane tricks on me. Or maybe I had gone mental. Ya, that was a definite possibility.  
Standing in between 72 and 76 Cardinal Drive was an empty, old, patch of brown grass.

**heyyy guys!!! HOW WUZ!?!? ok so i am sooo sorry for e/o who has been waiting but we allllll no that writers block happens!!!!!!!!! pleeease reivew! i was stupid to request 20 last time. my expectations were too high!! SNIFF. I'll ask for 18. lol. hope u luved it. dw. writers block is gone....FOR NOW!!! i have most of the rest of the story planned out so all u hafta do is REVIEW and itll come 2 u!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope u LUH-UUUUVED TIMES TEN!!!!! missed u all!**


	24. Chapter 24

Hello? Was this a joke? A crazy hyperventilation-worthy JOKE?  
I couldn't speak. I couldn't move.  
Every single one of my body parts was numb to a point that I actually felt frosty. After all this. The searching, the frustration, the finding, the running, the anticipation......a patch of dead grass? Come on, G-d, You can do so much better than that for a girl.  
My breathing was so low and short that anyone besides for me had to be forced to say that it had stopped.  
I was waiting for SOMETHING to happen. For Zach to talk. For my heart to start pumping again. Maybe even for a sign surrounded by flashing lights to point me towards my dad? Really, now. Not so much to ask for! Gosh.  
Finally, after what seemed like ages of frozen, miserable, agonizing moments, Zach touched my arm.  
Ok, WHY WAS HE TOUCHING MY ARM!? I really was not interested in feeling lightning bolts when I had just been let down like a deflated sack of Helium. Honestly. Zach.  
"Wait a second," he said. His voice radiated a new mood. His eyes let off a feeling of regained confidene. regained hope.  
"Cammie....what if our parents....are.....UNDER us?"  
Ok. Was this boy out of his mind? UNDER us?  
I looked down at my feet and then at the patch of grass that they stood on. Oooooooooooooooooh. Right. Spies. We did the underground thing. Cammie, what is WRONG with you? You totally just had the thought the process of a normal teenager! Ok. That meant something was REALLY wrong. I mean, DUH, undergroundness was totally regular when you lived a life like me. So why had my mind completely drawn a blank? Ok. Let's just all breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeathe.  
"Right. Ok. So how do we GET underground?," I asked. AAAAAAh, it felt good to be exhaling Carbon Dioxide after all those nonbreathing moments.  
Zach shrugged.  
"We have to investigate. Be thorough. Any thing that may look like any sort of passageway to get down there....well....let me know," he said, and started walking acorss the empty field, his eyes squinted with concentration.  
Passageway...passageway...passageway.  
Ok, Zach, there was no passageway!!!! Patience gone.  
Wow, Cammie, you have the tolerance of a hungry baby. But that was totally normal when my dad may be 200 feet below me and there was no possible way of getting there. Right?  
"Okkaaaaaaaaaaaay," Zach said from about ten feet over.  
"Nothing here. Scratch the underground idea, then," he continued. I sighed and walked over to him.  
"Ok. So here's my question to you," I said, trying to keep my quavering voice as steady as possible. Trying to fight the tears thtat were prying themselves over my eyelids.  
"HOW are we findind our parents?," I asked, and stomped my foot, angrily.  
I felt the ground beneath me shake. I looked around me and realized that the circle of grass Zach and me were standing on was sinking lower and lower. The street disappeared, t hen the cars, then the houses, until the sun was no longer visible, and all we saw was black darkness as we descendeded lower and lower.  
"UNscratch the underground idea," I said , as my lips curled into a victorious smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wow. So all it took was a foot stomp. Jeez. Shuda told me that BEFORE Zach saw me cry.  
"Wow," I breathed as a rush of cool black air whipped my hair into Zach's nose. Oops. Giggle.  
"Watch it, Gallagher Girl," he said, dipping his head out of my hair's grasp.  
"Oh, don't be a wimp. My hair is the SOFTEST thing that's gonna hit you today, let me tell ya that," I said, warningly. And I wasn't kidding. Wherever this round flat podium was taking us, I smelled danger. And, my friends, a word of advice: NEVER question a Gallagher Girl's senses.  
"Zach. This can't be good," I thought aloud.  
"We're almost there. Almost with our parents. It's ALL good," he assured me. Um. Ok. Talk about confident.  
My entire body jolted forward as the podium came to an abrupt stop. Lights flashed on.  
My jaw dropped.  
WOW.  
I was surrounded by metal, stainless steel, and flashing lights. The place reminded me of the CIA station where I had gotten debriefed last semester. BEFORE Zach came into my life. BEFORE I had known my dad was still alive. BEFORE dying tomorrow was an option. Even though that was an option everyday. But whatever.  
' "What IS this place?," I wondered out loud.  
"What does it LOOK like, Gallagher girl?," he snapped. Whoa. Calm it. What happened to the soft, "All I need is parental love" side of him? Bipolar much?  
"Um. A spy station?" What WAS a spy station anyway?  
Zach shrugged. "Ya. Kinda. It's a place where a group of spies who have a common goal get together. They build this place somewhere hidden so they can achieve their task together in secret. That task was to get our parents. Seems they're almost done...," he said, his voice wandering off and his eyes getting glassy.  
"So let's stop them, before they get what they WANT from our parents!," I cried, angrily.  
Zach's eyes widened and he smashed his finger against my lips. "Shhhhhhhhh. They'll hear us. And then we wont' get ANYWHERE," he warned in a hiss.  
"Mmmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm."  
"What?!," Zach asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He took his finger away from my mouth.  
I breathed hard. "I saaaid....take your finger off my lips!"  
Zach snickered. "Ooh."  
Suddenly, there were red flashing lights. Bloodcurling beeping sounds. "ALERT. ALERT."  
Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.  
"Uh...guess we didn't plan this far ahead," Zach croaked, whipping his head from left to right in panic.  
"Um....yuh THINK?," I asked, beads of sweat rapidly forming on my forehead.  
We had nothing to do. Nowhere to go. The sounds of the alarm were like the warning sirens of...death. And, NO, I was NOT being overdramatic.  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hard metal seatbelt sorta thing pinned my body down to the floor of the podium. I writhed in pain. Beside me, Zach was wincing and moaning.  
Ok. This was starting to get really, really freaky.  
And then it hit me.  
We were caught. We were done. Finished. All that work....for nothing. We were captured agents now. Just like our parents. We had gotten nowhere.  
So, along with the physical pain of the metal belt, an emotional pain joined in. And all that pain....was really painful. I'll tell ya that much.  
Footsteps in the distance. Dozens of them. Pounding against the stainless steel floors.  
"Zach," I managed in a choked whisper.  
He only moaned.  
It was official. We were doomed.  
I saw their feet. I saw the legs of their pants. Then their waists...their shirts...their business-like ties. And with a look of pure disgust, I looked up to see the face of the one that lead them all. The face of the one that captured my dad...Zach's parents. The face of the one that I knew I would hate forever.  
I lifted my head, my eyes a terrifying, flaming, bloodred, and stared directly into the eyes of.....Rebeca Baxter's father.

**how waaas THAT for a cliffhanger? well not rly a cliffhanger since u no hu it ended up to be, but o well...im kind and i wasnt gonna end off without his NAME. cuz c'mon...thats cruel! lol plllleeeease review!!!!!!! requesting 15 please!!!!! hope u luuuuuuuved it! if u have n e questions just PM me!!!!! btw...i was nomintaed for the gg3 parody. check it out under forums. i'd really appreciate your votes!! it would mean a lot! voting starts march 21! so for those of u who really love my story, please vote! it would mean a lot! good night!! : - )**


	25. Chapter 25

**k so before u read, just letting u no that i posted a clique fanfic-prob just a one-shot. BUT PLEEEEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!! because i am having a shortage of those and thats not good if u wanna keep the chapters coming!!!!!**

"You."  
That was all I managed to sputter disgustedly as I stared into the eyes of the man who had made my life so miserable. Made my tears so many.  
But why Bex's dad? Why did it have to be him? Ya, it had been kinda suspicious that Bex's parents were always away and she was constantly spending school breaks with Grandma and Grandpa Morgan, but...they had, had my dad? Zach's parents?...ALL this time?  
The moment was a whirl. A complete blur.  
Nothing was comprehendable and all of a sudden as I looked at Mr. Baxter, the resemblance to his daughter span into Bex herself. I saw her laughing. Her caramel eyes were squinted with happiness and her smile shone bright and luminously.  
I hated her. Her father. I hated everyone.  
Suddenly, the image disappeard, and I was looking into the eyes of an angry man once again.  
"Seems like we have visitors," he said. He didn't even bother to hide the evilness in his tone.  
"It was YOU," I said, finally. I was choking on my tears and my words came out choppy.  
By now, Zach has stopped wincing. His face was just blank.  
"C-cammie? You KNOW him?," he asked, his voice hoarse.  
I nodded, but didn't avert my gaze from Mr. Baxter.  
"Aaaaaaah, Mr. Goode. A pleasure to meet you at last," Mr. Baxter said as he extended his hand to Zach's.  
Zach narrowed his eyes and shook his head, angrily.  
"Bring us to our parents," he demanded coolly.  
Mr. Baxter only cackled. A cruel cackle.  
I felt like I was in a nightmare. A cold, black, never-ending nightmare.  
Mom?  
I could SERIOUSLY use your help right now.  
But my mother wasn't coming. She was too scared. Too wimpy. Too nervous to face Mr. Baxter even to SAVE HER HUSBAND'S LIFE.  
Oh my gosh. Wait. My mom had known. My mom had known the entire time....that it was Bex's dad.  
Way to keep a secret, mom. Really. Maybe it would have been nice to know not to befriend the enemy?  
But one second....  
What was it my mother had told me?  
"Never judge a spy by what they had done in the past...by what someone they knew had done...someone they loved had done." So that wasn't just random. My mother knew there would come a day where I would know. Huh.  
Her words echoed in my head. Over and over. And then I knew it.  
I loved Bex. Still. Even after seeing her face within the wrinkles of her own father's. Within the wrinkles of the man who had ruined my life.  
I WASN'T gonna judge her by her cover. I wasn't. **(**Hence the title of this story! :-) )**  
Mr. Baxter's voice cut off my thoughts.  
"You see, Mr. Goode. I would do that. I really would. But that would ruin my plan. So I think I will keep you and Miss Morgan here until I feel is necessary. Good day," he siad, and snapped his fingers at the men that stood on either side of him. They shuffled over to us and grabbed our arms.  
I heard Zach breathing hard next to me. The sound of the exhaling breaths through his nose read ANGER. Lack of toleration. Lack of patience.  
"COME BAAACK!!!!!," he shouted. The echos of Zach's furious cries bounced off the metal walls. He panted.  
Mr. Baxter slowly turned on his heel, raising a black bushy eyebrow.  
"Do you need something, Mr. Goode?," he asked, calmly.  
Zach grinded his teeth together and held the bar that confined him down tightly, the rims of his knuckles turning a dangerous shade of red.  
Then his eyes went downcast and his panting slowed down.  
"No," he said, quietly. "Nothing."  
There was a moment of silence. Drentched, heavy silence.  
Then Mr. Baxter twiddled his fingers together and said, " Very well, then. Good. I'll be seeing you."  
The doors slammed shut behind him, and four men released us, leading us to a white door in the corner.  
"Stay right here.," one of them ordered, and they strapped us in with some more metal. Gosh. No shortage of metal here, really.  
So there we were.  
Tied to two metal (suprised?) back to back chairs, heavy ropes fighting against our circulation.  
Zach hung his head.  
I sighed.  
"So......?"  
I dared to break the silence.  
Zach said nothing.  
Because we both knew it, and ddin't want to admit it.  
We had failed. In a bad, bad way.


	26. Chapter 26

The room was silent. The only sound heard was the blast of the air conditioner below our feet. Finally, Zach spoke.  
"How do you know him?," he asked, sullenly. His voice was low and grave. Nothing like the Zach I knew and had fallen in like with last semester. No hint of a winking, mocking tone. Just sadness. And fear.  
I swallowed.  
"He's....Bex's dad," I choked. Once again, I had to force myself not to resent my best friend. It had been...her FATHER.  
Zach didn't flintch.  
"Oh." Plain flat monotone.  
And that was how we sat for the next half hour. Looking. Blinking. Unspeaking.  
Because what WAS there to say? We knew we had failed. We knew there was no way out.  
"Zach," I breathed after thirty-six minutes of pure silent torture.  
"What?"  
His voice was snappy. Like he had no patience for me.  
"Zach...first thing's first. STOP SULKING. You need to trust me. You need to listen. We need to plan," I begged.  
His eyes flashed. Not that I could really SEE them when he was sitting back-to-back with me, but he turned his head just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the fiery.  
"STOP SULKING?!," he shouted.  
Ok, wow. How was I gonna get this boy to CALM DOWN?  
"Cammie, our parents are DOORS away. And we're sitting here locked up, like stupid spies. Can you even believe us?," he spat in disgust.  
"We worked so hard! AND WE GOT HERE! We're HERE, Cammie. And look at us!!!!!! LOOK AT US!!!!," he shouted, his face red with indescribable anger.  
Ok, so I was pretty sure he was referring to the fact that we were chained to cold metal chairs. And WHAT was I supposed to answer to that exactly?  
Because we were. And we were probably dead meat. And we had accomplished NOTHING for our parents.  
But, really.  
What happened to FAITH?  
So I told him that.  
"Zach, we have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up," I said, while inside I was thinking, THIS IS OVER. But he didn't have to know that, did he?  
Zach sighed.  
"Cammie, face it- we're done." His voice was hoarse and his hair was ruffled in a way that looked that he hadn't slept for days. When really we had just left the hotel a little over an hour ago.  
"What could we plan? None of our gadgets will cut through this stuff," he said, gesturing to the bars that confined us.  
"They probably COULD," I pointed out, miserably. "But we don't have HANDS."  
Zach snickered, weakly. Sadly. "Yea. How did I forget that when my circulation is pretty much STOPPED?"  
Ya, I had to agree with him. These things WERE a little bit painful.  
And we stopped talking. Cuz I figured that was a rhetorical question.  
Ten long, miserable minutes passed. We sat.  
And sat.  
And sat.  
"Aaaaaaaaaargh." Yea, a girl can go a little crazy in a small, quiet room, tied to a chair. So I lost it.  
"Um. Ya. Feelin the same way," Zach said from behind me.  
"You know what? This is rediculous. I'm leaving," I stated, matter of factly.  
Zach chuckled.  
"You try that."  
So I did.  
I writhed. I twisted. I turned bloodred trying to slide my body out from under the bars. But to no avail. Surprised? No. That whole attempt was strictly for my sanity.  
I knew that it wasn't going to get my anywhere.  
And it didn't.  
If I COULD have seen Zach's face at that moment, he probably would have been smirking and raising an eyebrow. So I just assumed.  
"Zach, stop."  
"Stop what?"  
I sighed. "Nothing. Whatever."  
And then I heard a sound behind the door.  
And honestly, I didn't care if it was Mr. Baxter. I just needed to get out of here. Needed to be free.  
The door flew open.  
Oh. My. Gosh.  
There stood, my three best friends, smiling with satisfaction and holding up the same cutting lazer beam we had used to get into Blackthorne.  
All I could do was stare at them. They were seriously amazing. All of them.  
Finally, Bex spoke.  
"Didn't think we would REALLY stay in that stuffy motel all day, now, did ya?" she asked, a slow smile making its way across her lips.  
I laughed. And before I knew it, I was crying.  
Sobbing. Because, looking at Bex's oblivious face, I couldn't bear to face her. She didn't know.  
"Cam?," Liz asked, her tiny voice quiet with fear.  
"I-I'm fine," I sniffed, wiping my face with my sleeve.  
"Yea. She's fine. We're all fine. Since, uh, we got here. And then we got caught. And now we're getting everyone killed! Ya, everyone. Is. Just. Dandy."  
I recoiled.  
"Zach stop! It's enough! They came! We're leaving. You're seriously unbelieveable!," I shouted.  
Then Macey stepped in.  
"Guys, please don't fight. Maybe if we get you out of those chains, you'll both feel better," she tried.  
Zach humphed.  
Hah. As if.  
As Liz carved the bars off of Zach, Bex was carving the bars off of me. I looked at her.  
And then I knew what I had to do.  
"Um. Bex? Can we talk? In private?," I asked, after I had gotten up from the chair.  
Aaaaaah, freedom felt good. I flexed my fingers and winced at the deep red indentations from the ropes.  
"Sure," she said.  
I pulled her into the corner. Ok, this was awkward. How exactly was I supposed to phrase this?  
I was never in a situation where my best friend's father was the culprit behind my father's absence for the past ten years.  
"Uh...," I began.  
"What is it?," she asked.  
"It's just that....we found it who has my father," I said.  
Ok, really. How was I supposed to do this?!  
Bex slapped a hand to her forehead.  
"Can't believe we forgot to ask!!!! Who is it?? I'm ready to kick this guy's butt," she said.  
Um. Really, now?  
"It's....um..."  
That's when Zach noticed. How terribly I was struggling with my words, I mean.  
So he sauntered over, touched my shoulder, and jerked his head in a way that said, "I'll take it from here."  
I really wasn't sure that was the best idea, but truth be told, this was way too hard for me.  
I pinned myself against the wall, not wanting to make eye contact with Bex after she knew.  
Please. Please let her react well. Please....?  
I heard Zach mumbling. I caught the words, "my parents.......probably all a mistake...just thought you should know...your father-"  
And that's when it came.  
"What?!?!?!??!"  
Bex's cry echoed, even in the room so small.  
"M-my FATHER?"  
By now, Macey and Liz had turned around and were staring straight at us, wondering what we could have possibly told her.  
We were all too afraid to speak.  
Then, I saw something that I thought I would never see as I long as I lived.  
Rebecca Baxter was crying.


	27. Chapter 27

Ok, so it was one of those moments, where it's super serious, but you have no idea what to do. Should you cry along? Should you snicker and tell her it's no big deal?  
Well, I'm sorry, but it WAS big deal.  
I mean, imagine your workaholic of a dad turning out to be a CIA murdurer! Well, near murderer REALLY. Because we hadn't techinically figured out what they WANTED our parents for. But, CAPTURER.  
Well, it didn't really matter what he was, except for that he was BAD. And that was a pretty hard thing to take for a Gallagher Girl who's trained to do good.  
So I stood there.  
Ya, that's right, STOOD THERE.  
Could I get ANY more pathetic?  
Zach widened his eyes at me and jerked his head in a nudge, pushing me to do something.  
As Bex slid down the wall and buried her face in her hands, I mouthed to Zach: "What am I supposed to do?"  
Zach threw his hands up in the air and rubbed his eyes with his hands.  
"I don't really care-but we NEED to get out of here, before they catch us. I don't really know where we're GOING, but while you contemplate the most IMPORTANT moment of your life, I'll contemplate mine," he said, smoothly, and ducked away.  
Gulp.  
I felt a hand on my shoudler. Then 2.  
I turned around.  
"Hey, guys," I breathed.  
MAcey and Liz were standing on either side of me, their faces blank and scared.  
"What did Zach tell her?," Liz askeed, quietly.  
I shrugged.  
"Guys...Bex's dad......"  
I inhaled.  
"Is behind all this."  
Gasps all over again.  
"Ya, I know. So I need to talk to her. And then we can get out of here. Go to Zach and think of where we go next. Bex and I will be over there soon," I urged.  
Macey and Liz, still hyperventilating (AND squeezing each other, I may add) walked over to Zach, hesitantly.  
And that's when I breathed in. And out. And in. And forgot to breathe out again.  
OMG, Why couldn't I breathe?  
Oh, right.  
EXHALE.  
"Bex?," I asked, timidly.  
Honestly, though, I didn't think the girl was interested in asnwering me.  
So when she didn't, I knew I had to sit down next to her and talk it all out.  
I touched her shoulder.  
When her face remained completely concealed by her rough hands, I sat down and exhaled.  
"Bex...this has nothing to do with you. You can't kill yourself over it. You can't feel ashamed. If you think this changed how I feel about you at all, you're wrong. You're my best friend. You always will be. I love you. And ya, I may hate your dad, but what does that got to do with you? I'm mature enough to understand that every person is his OWN person. Why should I hate you for what your DAD did?," I asked.  
Ok, wow.  
Now that my part was over, all I had to do was wait for a response.  
So I waited. And waited.  
And waited.  
Finally, Bex sniffled, and looked up.  
Her face was blotchy, but her eyes were angry caramel slits.  
"I'm not ashamed, Cammie," she hissed.  
"I'm furious...at my dad. I don't get how he could DO such a thing. And these agents have been missing for YEARS. He was behind it the entire time! Probably Mum, too. Uch, I always resented them. But I never knew...they were...BAD."  
She didn't sound sad. She didn't sound ashamed.  
She seriously and truly sounded irrevocably ANGRY.  
Ok,if this girl was still gonna fight for me AGAINST her father, I had some serious payback to do when this was all over. In a good way, of course.  
"Maybe there's a deeper explanation to this, besides for what Zach and I already saw and heard," I tried. But I sounded doubtful. And believe me, I WAS pretty doubtful. I mean, how many explanations can an evil cackle HAVE, anyway?  
Bex stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and pursed her lips tightly.  
"There isn't. And I'm gonna face him," she announced, confidently.  
By now, Zach, MAcey, and Liz had turned all their heads towards the action on our side of the room.  
Bex paced the room, her fists clentched to whiteness. And then she grabbed the doorknob with a strong arm, turned around and said,  
"I'm gonna show him who wins the games around here."

****************************************

Voices. Mr. Baxter's voice. And then a woman's reply. Consciously, I tilted my head around the corner and peeked towards the sound.  
The woman had glossy black curls and blunt front bangs. Her eyes were a beautiful caramel. A caramel that looked oddly familiar.  
So THAT was Bex's mom. Impressive.  
Her metallic body suit clung to her every curve and emphasized her bulging bust and shapey hips. Ya. That woman definitely looked evil. I motioned at Zach with a hand gesture.  
"Whoa. Tough competition," he whispered after swinging his head back towards me. I nodded. From down the hall, we saw Bex, Macey, and Liz scurrying towards us.  
We had escaped the "dungeon" and had made our way here, by following the voices. But now what? Do we charge? What weapons did we even HAVE to charge with? Do we remain quiet and wait for an adult to take action?  
And that's when I paniced.  
Because we had no adults taking action for us. We were five Juniors completely on our own against a possibly massive army of bad CIA people. This did NOT look good.  
My head span and along with it, the room. I clutched my temples with each of my hands and clentched my teeth together. I was so close. To MY FATHER.  
A surge of energy bolted through me and slowly, but carefully, I drew the gun that Zach had hidden in his back jeans pocket. That cheater.  
Swiftly, in one smooth motion, I turned the corner and clutched the gun in between my white fingers.  
"Hands up!," I shouted.  
And that's when I got knocked out.

******************************************

My eyes fluttered open.  
"Ya, maybe she should have informed me of what she was doing before she slid a gun out of my jeans pocket!," I heard Zach shout. He was banging on a wall. That was all I could make out.  
"Zach, chill. Gosh. She was probably really over-whelmed by the whole thing."  
Macey.  
"Was she really going to kill my father?"  
Bex.  
"Guys! Look! She's conscious!"  
Liz.  
I attempted at lifting my head. OUCH. Was it possible for a relatively average-sized head to feel like weights?  
Because mine did. Lifting it was a task of its own. Let me tell ya. In fact, everything ached. My palms as I sat up. My back as I stretched. My lips as I dared to try to part them to speak.  
Zach got up from the table he was sitting on so fast, it was all a blur. He ran to my side and leaned over me.  
"Cam, you okay?" His voice was hoarse; concerned almost.  
I nodded.  
OUCH.  
"Wh-what happened?," I managed to whisper.  
"You kinda drew a gun out of my pocket and shouted at the Baxters to lift their hands up...so they knocked you out and relocked us up," he said matter-of-factly.  
I groaned.  
"I'm so sorry," I whispered. And that's when my friends took their cue to slip away.  
Zach slid his warm hand over mine.  
"It's not your fault. Don't worry. We'll get out of this," he promised, sincerely.  
Except I knew he was lying. Because I had been up to hear him say otherwise.  
Gosh, when would _I _learn to lie like him?  
Because, believe me, he looked pretty darn serious.  
"Zach, I heard what you said before. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I don't know. I guess...I guess it's determination really. A bolt that kind of hits me every time I think of what I'm fighting for. Because that's the most important thing in the world."  
Wow. I never knew I could be that meaningful.  
And OMG Zach's hand was still over mine.  
"No, Cammie. It really isn't your fault. I don't blame you for any of it. We were stupid the whole time. Just coming here was stupid. I can't believe I thought we could actually do this. I can't believe I thought we could actually stand up to all these trained spies! We're 17, Cam. We can't do it."  
He ended off in a sad whisper, and looked down.  
Maybe Zach was right. Maybe we were just stupid.  
Maybe we really couldn't do this.  
"Zach...m-maybe we should go home," I said.  
Zach didn't flintch. His gaze remained downcast.  
"Look around you, Gallagher Girl. We're trapped in an underground high-security building. Does it look like we're going anywhere?," he asked, back to his mocking self.  
Wow, he bounced back FAST.  
Groan.  
But no. It didn't look like we were going anywhere.  
Double groan.

**heyy guys! sry i haven't posted in 4ever but heres a chapter thati hope will satisfy u somewhat..if n e one has rly great ideas...but kinda detailed ones cuz i have the bang ending planned out already. so if u have n e fillers before i get to the end of my story just to keep it xciting, lemme no. because finals r NOT the time to have a great imagination if u no what i mean. so im having some writers block now....hope u luuuuved!! PLEAAAAAASE REVIEW! it wud mean so muuch**


	28. Chapter 28

"Do they WANT us to starve?! Gosh, I can't believe my own parents DID this to me. Is everyone trying to tell me, that all their lives, my parents haven't loved me?? That they've lied to me and pretended to care for me, and then when they shipped me off to Galagher they go on a wild goose chase, chasing after my friends' dads!!!!"  
Ohhh, ya. Bex was on a rampage. And what were we supposed to tell her exactly? Because everything she was saying was true.  
Not that I thought her parents didn't love her. But, COME ON, they LOCKED. HER. UP. That was taking this too far. She WAS their daughter after all.  
I looked around the room at everyone's faces and my heart felt heavy. These were my friends-my companions-who have helped me through everything. These are the ones that RISKED their lives to get me here, and now take a look at us. Locked up a second time with nowhere to go and no savior on their way.  
Macey was shaking her head and staring down at the floor, her usually stunning Miley Cyrus locks, in a heap on top of her head. Liz's eyes were bloodshot-an indication of a sob session. So THAT'S what she had been doing in the corner of the room.  
Bex-she was shaking her head disbelievingly. Probably wondering what life offered her next. Where would she go if her parents truly didn't want her?  
And Zach-looking gorgeous as usual, but that was sooo besides the point. His face was downcast and his strong hands made their way across his head, ruffling his hair in frustration. I wanted to leap towards him. To tell him that we could do this and that all would be well. I wanted to take action. I couldn't stay here anymore.  
But I knew that nothing that I planned would get us anywhere. Because did it ever? In my head, I traced my way back to Gallagher academy...to that innocent night when I had decided to go to Blackthorne. My friends had tried to convince me otherwise, but I didn't listen. And then in Blackthorne...the boys in t he Waldorf...Zach telling me about my dad...and then London. Those few days were a freeze of nothing to do and nowhere to go. And we had opened the case!...to find ourselves.....HERE. Locked up in a cold room insolated with metal. We were truly over. Finished. Done.  
I hadn't realized it before, but now I noticed puddles of tears on my jeans. I sniffed.  
Oh gosh. Please don't let Zach notice me crying. Please please please please please please.  
"Heyyyyyy, Cammie. Shhhhh. Don't cry."  
Ok, that was Zach's husky whisper. And his hand on my shoulder. And his breath in my ear.  
So G-d hadn't listened to me. Arrrrgh.  
"It's all gonna be fine. We made it here, didn't we? We hafta look at the bright side on this-we got so far. So please don't cry. Just like you thought it was over in London, you think it's all over now. But it wasn't over in London. And it's not over now."  
By now, my shoulders were shaking violently. Zach massaged them calmly, once in a while picking up one hand to wipe a tear from my eye.  
It felt good. Zach actually made me feel better.  
And that's when I realized it. I was a spy in hostage, I was a spy in despair, and I was a spy in love.

**hey guys. im depressed. so it may reflect off my writing!! no rly im not like SERIOUSLY depresssed like with a case of depression. im just rly stressed from skl and e/t so i cant rly write. so ya it wud if u review cuz maybe it wud help my depression. enjoy!**


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